We had a good drive to Suffolk, with just a few holdups on the last stretch. Chris surprised me with a comfort stop on the way, at the Anglo Saxon royal burial site at Sutton Hoo. We had seen a film called The Dig recently, all about the excavation in the 1930’s and the discovery of precious artefacts inside. These are now in the British Museum, but replicas are on show including the intricate helmet, as part of an exhibition which suggests the burial could have been for King Rædwald of East Anglia
Outside is a replica of the 27 metre long Anglo-Saxon ship which was made of oak and after 1,300 years in the acidic soil, rotted away leaving only its ‘ghost’ imprinted in the sand.
We walked to the burial site where all that can be seen are some mounds in the grass, the best way to preserve whatever remains.
We headed coastwards to Southwold and found the Wagon Store, a one bedroom bungalow in Reydon which will be our home from home for a week. It has been beautifully fitted out and well equippped, not to mention thoughtful little touches to make us feel welcome.
After a cuppa we walked to the pier which took about 20 minutes. It was early evening and the light made taking a few photos a joy. The pier was built in 1900 to enable steamships dock with visitors from London, a journey that took 11 hours.
One of the features is the water clock, originally meant to be temporary but now much-loved and made of old hot water cylinders, with water regularly overflowing from the bath to water the garden.
There is also the wacky walk of mirrors …
… and a mural celebrating George Orwell who lived here.
We could see Sizewell nuclear power station in the distance.
At the end of the pier we looked back at the sandy beach, lined with beach huts backed with Victorian villas and the lighthouse peeking out behind. Southwold was already attracting visitors at the beginning of the 19th century, but by the end it was a busy resort with three new hotels, a railway station and steamer service.
In North Parade we got a bit closer to the lighthouse which was built in 1897 to reduce the number of wrecks in Sole Bay.
… before cutting done through the centre of town past the Town Hall and back.
We made short work of stuffing some Romano peppers with artichoke and feta filling and sat in the garden with a glass of wine while they cooked, then thought about how we might spend the next day …
Off Travelling Together 