A snapshot of Suffolk

It is starting to become a bit of a tradition for Mr Lighty and I to venture on what we term a ‘mini-moon’ every now and again.  So much so that every short break we go on is now called a mini-moon, even as we embarked on our second anniversary weekend – you’ve never been married long enough not to go on a mini-moon, after all!  And this time, our choice of mini-moon destination was to that most charming of English counties, Suffolk, on a perfect English Spring weekend, for a snapshot of what this coastline has to offer.

Lowly Lowestoft

We decided to base ourselves in the coastal town of Lowestoft.  One of the most important aspects for us of any of our mini-moons is our accommodation, and this weekend away was no exception.  We picked Lowestoft as a base, I must admit, more because of the fact that we liked the look of the quirky little B&B we stayed in more than due to any major research on the town itself – perhaps a rookie mistake for any travel junkie to make?  We were certainly not disappointed by our guesthouse, the Baytree House, which was full of character and warmth – not to mention a great breakfast, thirteen guinea pigs and seven pugs!

Lowestoft itself, however, looked like it could do with a little bit of love being injected.  It was a little tired, a little rough round the edges.  This isn’t to say that we didn’t enjoy our afternoon spent there; after a lovely gluten free scone and tea served in bone china cups at the Flying Fifteens tea house – which was again, full of character and charm – we whiled away an hour or two on the crazy golf course - not to mention the traditional seaside lure of the 2p drop machines!

Lowestoft South Pier

There were certainly hints of the town’s former charm to be seen; opposite the old town hall, now only used on polling day, there was a quirky chemist’s shop front, dating back to 1817, but now sadly closed, as were many of the other shops on the high street.  Lowestoft is also the most Easterly point in Britain, and so, on our second morning in Suffolk, we walked down to Ness Point, so that we could be the most Easterly people in Britain.  As much as we enjoyed the bracing walk along the sea front, we couldn’t shift the thought that it was such a shame that there wasn’t more made of this spot to attract tourists, locals and those looking to do coast-to-coast bike rides alike.

Remnants of the ancient chemist's

Ness Point

Out of Africa....in Suffolk!

After our departure from Lowestoft, our Sunday morning was spent at the wonderful Africa Alive! zoo.  Set in 100 acres of land, Africa Alive! is a recreation of the African Savannah – and all in sunny Suffolk!  From smaller creatures in the farmyard area (including baby goats on the attack!), through to a wonderful viewing platform over the lion enclosure, it’s easy to see how you could spend most of a day here.  We particularly enjoyed the giraffe feeding, and the fun of the walk through the lemur enclosure, where these cute creatures are able to wander freely around your feet; we loved how fifteen lemurs managed to cuddle up against the cold on one tiny stand, and then how they decided to climb on the back of the sheep they shared their enclosure with!

At the Giraffe feeding

A lemur on a sheep's back!

From Africa to Aldeburgh

We love to pack it in during our weekends away, and therefore we made a final stop in the lovely seaside town of Aldeburgh.  Drawn to the town by the lure of the famous fish and chips, Mr Lighty was particularly pleased to see that a classic car show was taking place on the beach front as we drove into the town.  Aldeburgh is full of cute and quirky boutiques – think upmarket gift shops, interior decor shops and fashion outlets – and after a mooch around these and a stroll amongst the vintage cars on the beach, we were ready for our fish and chips.  The queue pretty much said it all about how famous these fish and chips are: we waited half an hour for ours.  However, having been lucky with the British weather, we took them down to the seafront, eating from the paper whilst watching the waves roll in, which proved to be the perfect end to our day.  Aldeburgh sums up for me what Suffolk at its best is about: beautiful and sleepy, but still upmarket and quirky.  And the chips didn’t disappoint either!

The classic car show on Aldeburgh beach front

 

Mr Lighty with his famous Aldeburgh Fish & Chips!