Today we went to Aldeburgh to explore, just 17 miles down the coast. We parked at the end of the town beside the sculpture Scallop which is dedicated to the composer Benjamin Britten who lived here and walked along the beach in the afternoons. It was created from stainless steel by Maggi Hambling with words from Britten’s cheery nautical opera Peter Grimes pierced through it. It has caused controversy since it’s unveiling in 2003, has been vandalised many times and had petitions for both its removal and retention. We couldn’t see what the fuss was about, and thought it interesting to walk round and catch from difference angles.
We walked into the town, past fishing boats pulled up on the shingle and fishing sheds selling fish of all sorts and smoked fish too.
In the centre is the Tudor Moot Hall, which was the town hall for centuries and now houses the museum.
We had coffee at the Two Magpies Bakery in the High Street, then continued through the town back to the sea wall.
We could see the Martello tower in distance, apparently a unique quatrefoil tower and the largest of the 103 towers built to resist a threatened Napoleonic invasion. It is the only surviving building of the fishing village of Slaughden, which was washed away by the sea by 1936.
We walked back along the front, admiring the colourful houses, many available as holiday lets …
… and I have never seen such an amazing collection of hollyhocks in bloom, brightening up every garden.
Halfway up, a sign encouraged us to add a stone to The Angel of the East …
… so I did, with purple writing at the bottom of the photo!
Walking back past the fish sheds, I stopped at the Aldeburgh Smokehouse and picked up an Aldeburgh Noon Tart for lunch – a crispy tart filled with creamy smoked haddock and smoked cheddar.
Chris had a Moroccan empanada in his pocket from the Two Magpies so we sat on a bench overlooking the Scallop, happily munching.
Off Travelling Together 