Southwold

We arrived really late in Southwold (Suffolk) on Thursday night and there wasn't much to see apart from the starry, starry sky so we woke up early the next morning to check out the peaceful little seaside village. Very clean and well-kept, the High Street was quietly bustling with locals and holiday-makers catching an early breakfast and picking up groceries for the day. We went into a couple of the little shops to buy souvenirs and then wandered down to the sea. Unfortunately we didn't make it as far as Southwold Pier which meant that we missed out on the 'not to be missed'(!) Water Clock and the Under the Pier Show that we later read about. It is hard to do everything when there is only a few hours in each destination but for anyone visiting Southwold soon, we would highly recommend a visit.

On the way back to the car we went to have a look at the The Electric Picture Palace (although not open until the evening) via Southwold Lighthouse which is a cute cinema based on the first cinema opened in Southwold in 1912 and run by volunteers. It shows a mixture of old new, classic and arthouse films. The manager John Bennett, let us photograph his amazing architect's practice which is full of old books and salvaged pieces and displays the original model of the Picture house.

Full of charm and totally unpretentious, Southwold is the perfect peaceful retreat; an unspoilt, quintessentially English seaside town.