Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and 30 minutes' training, with instructors patrolling the course. Minimum age 10.
Booking recommended.
Church St. (A1141, btw. Hadleigh and Bury St. Edmunds).
&
0845/6439215.
Admission £30 adults, £20
children 10-17 (£1.50 telephone booking charge). Feb-Nov daily during school holidays; but often
closed on Tues, and only open at weekends in Feb and Nov.
Grimes Graves
HISTORIC SITE These are the largest and best-preserved Neo-
lithic flint mines in Britain, and the only ones open to the public. They produced
heads for spears, arrows, and knives for prehistoric tribes, and they're now under the
stewardship of English Heritage. There are 400 pits, but nobody knew this unnatu-
rally undulating scrubland was a series of flint mines until 1870, when they were
excavated. You can only see them by climbing down a 9-m (30-ft.) ladder with an
English Heritage guide who will assess your fitness to descend (children 4 and under
and those with disabilities are not allowed down). It's worth taking a flashlight for a
better view, and flat shoes are essential. There's also a visitor center and shop.
Lyndford, Thetford (on the B1107, 2
3
⁄
4
miles northeast of Brandon).
&
01842/810656.
www.english-
heritage.org.uk. Admission £3.30 adults, £2.70 students and seniors, £1.60 children 5-15, £8 family
ticket. Mar-Oct Thurs-Mon 10am-5pm; Apr-Sept daily 10am-5pm.
13
SOUTHWOLD & ALDEBURGH
Southwold: 94 miles NE of London, 26 miles S of Norwich; Aldeburgh: 97 miles NE of London, 41 miles
SE of Norwich
Southwold
is a breath of fresh air on Suffolk's North Sea coast, with a sandy beach
perfect for family holidays and a stylish twist to a functional but pretty town that
attracts weekend Londoners. Southwold has wonderful pubs, thanks in part to the
town's Adnams brewery; a landmark lighthouse; an award-winning pier; lovely bou-
tiques; outrageously expensive beach huts; and a happy, holiday atmosphere almost
year-round. The town's famous Greens, created after the great fire of 1659, give it a
leisurely feeling of space, as do the commons and marshes down to the river quay-
side. From here (where there are fish stalls, fish-and-chips restaurants, and a pub),
you can walk over a footbridge and back up the river to
Walberswick,
home of the
British Open Crabbing Championships every August and a sandy beach, which is
fast becoming a kitesurfing hotspot thanks to the easterly winds. Walk along the
beach and you'll get to
Dunwich,
now little more than a few cottages since the town
fell into the sea several centuries ago. Here the beach is more pebbles than sand and
you can walk the 19 miles to
Aldeburgh
along the coastal path (partly just the
beach), passing Maggi Hambling's Scallop sculpture before you reach the town and
its pebble beach.
Aldeburgh is a yachtie town, famous for its festival and a magnet for Londoners.
It's a collection of boutique shops and eating places, including the excellent but
pricey
Lighthouse Restaurant
in the High Street. Benjamin Britten, who estab-
lished the Aldeburgh Festival, is buried at St. Peter and St. Paul Church here.
Essentials
GETTING THERE
From London's Liverpool Street Station, take a train (NXEA)
to Ipswich, then the Lowestoft line and get off at Saxmundham for Aldeburgh (6
miles away) or at Halesworth for Southwold 9 miles away. Both take around 2 hours
