Aldeburgh

Mum, Amanda and I had a jaunt yesterday to Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast.  We had a week's holiday about this time last year to Saxmundham and went to Aldeburgh for a visit - we had Sid and Finn with us which caused much anxiety.  Sid is fine around people but Finn was a monster - being on the lead makes him aggressive.  Dad also can only handle so much sightseeing before he gets fed up and wants to move on to the next place.  So, for all these reasons, we girls decided we would go back another day minus dogs and Dad - it's taken us a year to get our act together.

Aldeburgh is basically a high street and a shingle beach - but so pretty.  The houses and cottages are all painted in different pastel colours and there was a real holiday atmosphere to the place - lots of lovely places to eat, heaps of fish and chip shops (all with very long queues outside), and some lovely arty-farty shops to browse in. 

It definitely felt like it is in another time - very unspoilt.  Parking all along the high street - side on to the pavement like a little market place - and all for free!  

It is Dad's 80th birthday next week and we've been racking our brains trying to think what to get him - what do you get an 80 year old, who wants nor needs anything, every time you ask him?  However, we found the perfect present in the first shop we went in so, even if we hadn't been in any other shops, it was already a very successful outing.  A couple of charity shops, some lovely fabric and arty gift shops and a light lunch later and we were ready to leave Aldeburgh, but we will definitely be back. 

We headed off then to Snape Maltings, the concert venue which hosts the annual Aldeburgh Festival of Music, started by Benjamin Britten in 1948.  We then had a bit more retail therapy and a cream tea before heading home.  Another lovely day and we are definitely going to repeat it - we just need to work out where we're going next!