Southwold

Southwold sits on a low cliff between the sea and the Blyth, cut off from its neighbours by marsh and river, which is part of why it kept its character; the town burned in 1659 and was rebuilt around a series of greens left as firebreaks. Adnams has brewed here since 1872 and until recently delivered around town by dray horse. The white lighthouse of 1890 stands in the middle of the streets rather than on the shore, surrounded by houses. The pier, rebuilt in 2001 after storms destroyed the original, houses the Under the Pier Show, a hall of hand-built coin-operated machines by Tim Hunkin including a rocket-launch simulator and a machine that will walk your dog, which is genuinely unlike anything else on the English coast. The beach huts sell for prices that make national news.

What you actually see

• The Under the Pier Show - Tim Hunkin's hand-built satirical arcade machines.
• The inland lighthouse - an 1890 tower standing among the houses.
• The greens - open spaces left as firebreaks after the 1659 fire.
• The beach huts - colour-washed rows with famously high prices.

When to go

May to September for the beach and full opening; the town is busy in August and over bank holidays. Autumn and winter are quiet, and the pier machines run year-round.

Honest expectations

Southwold is expensive, with second-home ownership high and prices to match. The beach is shingle over sand and the water is cold. Parking is charged and limited in season. The ferry to Walberswick is a rowed boat and runs seasonally.

Nearby

Walberswick is across the Blyth; Dunwich and Minsmere lie south along the coast.