I love visiting the seaside.

Sun, sea, sand, ice cream and fish and chips. What’s not to love?

When the weather started hitting the mid 30s, we decided it was definitely about time for a trip to the beach. It’s always nice to get out to the coast, especially when it gets that hot, as the temperature feels much more bearable with a cool sea breeze in your face and an ice cream in your hand!

Southwold is a small town on the Suffolk coast and is very popular with day trippers and holiday makers. The beach is sandy and lined with colourful beach huts (a very British seaside sight!) and the town is full of pubs, small eateries and lovely little shops.

We spent the morning sitting on the beach soaking up the sun before it got too hot and then picked up our classic seaside ‘fish and chip’ lunch from The Little Fish and Chip Shop to eat on the seafront. They seafood is fresh, sustainable and locally caught and even the potatoes are local too. They cook everything in beef dripping – and if that isn’t the greatest idea you’ve ever heard of then I don’t know what is! These were some of the best chips I’d ever eaten, and I like to think of myself as something of a chip connoisseur. Definitely go for lunch though, as the queues in the evening are something to behold – although this is partly to do with the one-in-one-out system in place inside the small shop at the moment.

Southwold also happens to be home to one of England’s most popular breweries: Adnams. We’d booked a tour here as a surprise for my dad, but due to the pandemic we were unable to visit inside the brewery itself (on a weekday). Instead, we had a historical talk while viewing the brewery building from the outside, and then a much longer tutored tasting than you would normally have. No complaints here! Just remember to bring a designated driver, or stay the night. I’d actually been before so I didn’t mind not seeing inside, and both my brother and dad were happy with the extra long tasting in lieu of that!

While going through their brewing process and the main ingredients used, we tasted beers that represented different aspects of this. We even learned that their 0% alcohol beer is actually one of their best sellers nowadays! We tried many different kinds of the beer they brew, including ales, stouts and lagers. A couple of favourites were definitely ‘Broadside’ and also their new collaboration with Camden Brewery called ‘Camden On-Sea’. You also get a free beer voucher which you can claim in the shop, so you can pick up a favourite or even one that’s new to you. Although not available with the voucher, you should keep your eye out for their award winning Belgian style Tripel beer called Triple Knot, which is delicious. It’s much pricier than their others (probably due to its higher ABV), but definitely worth it!

The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering the town (using the one way walking system on the main streets to keep socially distanced), eating ice cream from Harris & James (I can highly recommend both the mojito and the tiramisu – not together though…), and enjoying a bit more beach time before making the drive home.

The East Anglian coast has so many gems to visit and it’s probably not as raved about as much as the South coast, but I can’t wait to explore more of it than I already have. Definitely all while consuming my bodyweight in chips and gelato, and buying way too many postcards!