Aldeburgh (pronounced /ˈɔ:lbrə/ (ALL-bre)) is a coastal town in east Suffolk, England. It has a long pebble beach, fresh seafood, several curious landmarks and an interesting history of survival against being swept away by the North Sea.
Understand
[edit]
The town is best known for being the home of composer Benjamin Britten, who was founder of the annual Aldeburgh Festival in 1948. A lot of properties in the town are second homes. Many visit for the Blue Flag shingle beach.
- Visit Aldeburgh website
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]The nearest international airport is at Norwich (NWI IATA), with flights arriving from Scotland and a small number of cities elsewhere in Europe. It is around 46 mi (74 km) away from Aldeburgh by road.
Elsewhere in the East, London Stansted (STN IATA) is around 75 mi (121 km) from Aldeburgh by road. It is a major international airport with a large number of arrivals from places throughout the UK and Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
By train
[edit]The nearest station is at Saxmundham, part of the National Rail network throughout Great Britain.
Trains arrive into Saxmundham direct from: Ipswich, Westerfield, Woodbridge, Melton, Wickham Market, Darsham, Halesworth, Brampton, Beccles, Oulton Broad South and Lowestoft.
Ipswich is the nearest main line station, with trains arriving from many towns and cities, including: London Liverpool Street, London Stratford, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Colchester, Diss, Ely, Felixstowe, Needham Market, Newmarket, Norwich, Peterborough and Stowmarket.
Several bus routes operate between Saxmundham and Aldeburgh throughout the daytimes (Monday-Saturday).
By car
[edit]Aldeburgh lies at the end of the 
main road.
To reach the route, use 
direct from: Ipswich, Woodbridge, Saxmundham and Lowestoft.
From 
(The Midlands, Cambridge, London via and Felixstowe), exit at 
to reach Aldeburgh.
Use B1122 from nearby Leiston.
By bus
[edit]A Suffolk bus journey planner is available on the SuffolkOnBoard website.
Routes into Aldeburgh are:
- Ipswich Reds 64 from Ipswich, Woodbridge, Wickham Market, Saxmundham and Leiston
- 521 from Halesworth, Darsham, Yoxford, Saxmundham, Leiston and Thorpeness
- 522 from Beccles, Halesworth, Darsham, Yoxford, Saxmundham and Leiston
Get around
[edit]
With a distance of 2.5 km between the Scallop and the Martello Tower, Aldeburgh is small enough to walk around.
See
[edit]- 1 House in the Clouds is a fantastical 1910 creation. The neighbourhood was being made over into an "olde worlde" holiday village, but it needed modern amenities like running water, and a couple of ugly towers and tanks to boost the water pressure. One became a standard stone tower, but the other was disguised as a house perched atop an apartment block. The water tank was removed in 1979 and the entire tower has been converted into accommodation, sleeps 10+1. Lots of stairs, no lift.
- 2 Long Shop Museum, Main Street, Leiston, IP16 4ES (4 miles north of Aldeburgh), ☏ +44 1728 832189, [email protected].
- 3 The beach, IP15 5BD (OS Grid ref TM 4660 5679). Stretching north past Thorpeness and south into Orford Ness, it is almost exclusively shingle (pebbles), except for small tracts of rough sand between breakwaters.
- 4 The Red House, Golf Lane, Aldeburgh IP15 5PZ (About 3/4 mile/1.2 km inland). Home of composer Benjamin Britten and tenor Peter Pears from 1957. Musical events, art exhibitions. Guided tours available. Opening hours vary - see website.
- 5 The Scallop, Thorpe Rd, IP16 4NR. A 2003 stainless-steel sculpture by Maggi Hambling commemorating Benjamin Britten, who lived in Aldeburgh from 1947 until his death in 1976. The 4-m-tall piece is made of two interlocking broken scallop shells. The main upright shell as cutouts reading "I hear those voices that will not be drowned", taken from Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes. It is meant to be enjoyed both visually and tactilely, and people are encouraged to sit on it and watch the sea.
- 6 Moot Hall (Aldeburgh Museum), IP15 5DS, ☏ +44 1728 454666, [email protected]. Jun-Aug: daily noon-5PM; Apr May Sep & Oct: daily 2:30-5PM. The 17th-century timber-framed Moot Hall was used for council meetings and now houses the local museum describing Aldeburgh's history. Adult £2; accompanied children free.
- 7 RNLI station. The lifeboat station houses a RNLI houseboat which can be viewed from the outside by the public.
- 8 Fort Green Mill. The curious Fort Green Mill is a four-storey windmill converted to residential use.
- 9 Martello Tower, Slaughden Rd IP15 5NA. The unique Martello Tower (knows as tower CC) is 4 towers joined together and the largest and northernmost of 103 defensive towers built between 1808 and 1812 to resist a Napoleonic invasion. Suffolk at one time had 18 towers. Many have been destroyed (e.g. pulled down for their masonry) whilst others converted into homes or put to other uses. This tower is now used as holiday apartments. The Martello Tower is the only surviving building of the fishing village of Slaughden, which had been washed away by the North Sea by 1936.
Do
[edit]- Walk through and around the marshes along River Alde near the marina and Martello tower.
- See the site and read the plaques describing the history of the nearby fishing village of Slaughden, which was washed away by the North Sea by 1936. Near the Martello Tower at Slaughden Quay are the barely visible remains of the fishing smack Ionia. It had become stuck in the treacherous mud of the River Alde, and was then used as a houseboat. In 1974 it was burnt, as it had become too unsafe.
- 1 Model Boating Pool, Crabbe St. free.
- 2 Aldeburgh Festival. In June, at Snape Maltings.
- Aldeburgh Carnival is next held 13-15 Aug 2022.
- 3 Aldeburgh Cinema, 51 High St, ☏ +44 1728 454884, [email protected]. Full programme of films, live screenings and special events.
- 4 Jubilee Hall, Crabbe St, ☏ +44 7980 748547 (mobile), [email protected]. Music, theatre, dance, comedy, lectures, conferences, educational events.
- Dunwich Dynamo (or "DD" or "Dun Run"). A annual cycle ride from London to Dunwich (10 miles N of the town). The 120-mile overnight ride starts in Hackney London normally on the Saturday night closest to the full moon in July, and attracts a large entry (in 2009 1,000 cyclists growing to 2,000 by 2015).
Buy
[edit]Buy fresh locally-caught seafood from the fishing huts along the beach near the Moot Hall.
- 1 Tesco Express (Convenience Store), Saxmundham Rd, ☏ +44 345 610 6365. M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 9AM-7PM. ATMs
- 2 Co-op (Supermarket), 8 Saxmundham Rd, ☏ +44 1728 451458. M-Sa 7AM-9PM, Su 10AM-4PM. ATMs.
Eat
[edit]- 1 The Fish and Chip Shop, 226 High St, ☏ +44 1728 452250. Tu W 11:45AM-2PM, Th 11:45AM-2PM & 5-8PM, F 11:45AM-2PM & 5-9PM, Sa 11:45AM-2PM & 5-8PM, Su noon-2PM. Described in The Times as "possibly the finest on the east coast".
- 2 Prezzo (Italian Restaurant & Take-away), 146 High St, ☏ +44 1728 454452. Daily noon-11:30PM.
- 3 The Lighthouse (Restaurant & Café), 77 High St, ☏ +44 1728 453377. M-F noon-2PM & 6:30-10PM, Sa noon-2:30PM & 6:30-10PM (from 6PM in Aug), Su noon-2:30PM & 6:30-10PM.
Drink
[edit]- 1 Cragg Ststers Tearoom, 110 High St, Aldeburgh IP15 5AB, ☏ +44 7813 552181 (mobile).
- 2 Ye Olde Cross Keys (Pub & Food), Crabbe St, ☏ +44 1728 452637. M-Sa 11AM-midnight, Su noon-midnight.
Sleep
[edit]- 1 Martello Tower, Slaughden Rd IP15 5NA. Holiday home run by the Landmark Trust, sleeping 4. £500 - 2000.
- 2 The White Lion Hotel, Market Cross Pl, Aldeburgh IP15 5BJ, ☏ +44 1728 452720. Check-in: 2:30PM, check-out: 11AM. Seafront townhouse with stylish, modern rooms, a casual bar and brasserie, plus free hot breakfast. £145.
- 3 Coxswains Cottage, Thorpeness (Leiston (2 miles) & Aldeburgh (2 miles)). A 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom self-catering holiday cottage. £299-799 per week.
- 4 The Wentworth, Wentworth Rd, Aldeburgh IP15 5BD, ☏ +44 1728 452312. Comfy traditional hotel on beach, relaxing atmosphere. B&B double £120.
Connect
[edit]As of Mar 2023, Aldeburgh has patchy 4G from EE and Vodafone, excellent signal from O2. 5G has not reached this area.
Go next
[edit]- Visit Ipswich, or take a ferry to Orford Ness for marshland hikes and recent military history.
- In June, attend the Aldeburgh Festival at Snape Maltings.
- Saxmundham
- Lowestoft
- Diss