Best of the British Seaside at Southwold, Southwold, England

Southwold, on the Suffolk coast, is the British seaside your grandparents will remember. It has all the charm of a genteel seaside town, with its colourful beach huts, pier and award-winning beach. You can fly a kite along the beach in the morning and watch a Punch and Judy Show in the afternoon.

There’s everything you need here for a good old-fashioned beach holiday. Along the Pier you can play the slot machines or have a cream tea. You can search for amber among the shingle and climb the lighthouse for the best views in town. There are lots of small, independent shops to browse for souvenirs and it even has its own brewery.

You’ll find both sand and shingle along the coast here. The coarse sand is perfect for building sandcastles and the shingle is a great place to start that all-important first collection of pebbles.

Southwold Beach is ideal for families: it’s been awarded a Blue Flag for its water quality, beach safety and cleanliness. It’s a great stretch of beach whether you want to swim in the bracing North Sea, splash around in the waves, fly a kite or go for long walks along the shore, admiring all the colourful beach huts. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).