It is early. It is Saturday.
First question of the day is it too early to find coffee. I quietly dress and walk down the short flight of old wooden stairs. The sun is out. There is a strong breeze. I guess around 8 mph but it is constant.
I had scouted yesterday. There is a Costa to my right. There is a bakery right next door to the hotel but it does not open to 8AM.
I look across the street and there is a small local pastry shop. Now, you ask what is the difference between a "bakery shop" and "pastry shop". In this case, the bakery shop is closed. It is more gentile. The bakery goods lean towards fillings and a more cosmopolitan names. And, oh yeah, expresso.
The "pastry shop" sells candy bars, gum and gooey buns and coffee -not filtered - coffee. At 7AM, I want gooey with a cherry on top.
I sit and enjoy my bun. I have been to the right. Adventure is to the right from the shop towards the North Sea.
There are few fellow travelers. I pass the Swan Hotel. Like the Crown, it is owned by the Addams Brewery. I really am getting to like Addams Brewery. I take a slight turn to the left. The street has small shops, a grocery store, a souvenir shop, fish and chips. There is the North Sea.
The North Sea is impressive. What I did not expect is a very pleasant beach, There is sand, not gravel or stone. Near the water, I can feel the wind. It is a wind that will give you a ruddy complexion.
I look to the left and there is a pier. A long pier with buildings the length of it.
I decide that Betty and we will explore the pier later today. I turn to my right and walk along the sidewalk that borders the beach. In front of the sidewalk and above the beach are cabanas. That is not correct. There are small summer beach shacks. No, that is not correct either. They are beach huts.
During the summer, vacationers apparently rent them for the weekend. Locals (well, local companies) own them to rent. Others are family owned for the convenience of a weekend away. They are colorful. I am guessing the average size is 150 sq. ft. They are for day use only. No running water. No electricity. Public Washroom. If available, average price is $350 - $500 per day in season (depending on the exchange rate). The asking price for a very nice beach hut is 177,000 pounds.
Now, that rental price does include chairs, tables and mandatory sand buckets and shovels.
Of course, I learn all this later. Right now, I am just walking. I need to stretch out.
I walk down to the beach. I want to feel the sand. Yep, it is sand. I take off me shoes and socks and test the water temperature. Really, I want to say I have put my foot in the North Sea.
I walk past Gun Hill (there is a plaque). Gun Hill has a ghost (a soldier looked down the barrel of one of the cannons to check if it was loaded - it was loaded with the expected results). The two 18 pound cannons were by legend a gift to Southwold from the Duke of Cumberland after the Battle of Culloden (someplace in Scotland). Best guess, the local military sent the cannons to protect against the Dunkirk (Dutch) pirates.
I walk down Ferry Road. I pass a Holiday Park (a Vacation Trailer Park) and turn back at the Southwold Surf School and Bicycle Shop. Trust me, you remember a location that teaches surfing the North Sea.
I follow Ferry Road to Constitution Hill. The charm of Southwold is that it has not changed greatly since late 1700's and early 1800s. Once a wealthy community involved in commerce of wool and international trade, a series of events and the industrial revolution caused Southwold to remain asleep.
Apparently, the town never recovered economically from the great fire of 1649 which devastated the town destroying the majority of the town buildings and wealth. It is that fire and economic isolation that now causes Southwold to be a coveted second home destination.
With rebuilding from the Fire, the town created the unique "Greens"- small parks - throughout the town. The homes are separated and the larger houses are brick. The Great Fire fuel was the wooden homes and tight buildings and one hell of a wind.
The amount of renovation is remarkable. I am not sure if when completed that these will be private homes, rentals or short term rentals.
I follow the curve back to High street and the hotel. I inform Betty of my wanderings, the weather and recommendations.
We leave the hotel about 11AM. We walk up High Street. We note there is a local grocery store - Co-op Food Southwold. We stop briefly at the High Tide Gift Shop. Betty buys several postcards to document to family and friends.
At the beach sidewalk, we turn left toward to the Pier. On the corner is the Sailors Reading Room. At first, it looks like a small community's attic. But, as you wander the room and read the exhibits along the wall, it is very interesting.
We learn about the Battle of Solebay. As often occurs with Great Battles - both sides claim victory and the living and the dead became heroes. This particular naval battle occurred in June 1672 with the French and English against the Dutch. Apparently, there was not enough North Sea to go around. By the way, I checked the battle seemed to be a lot of "fire and fury" - the Dutch lost two ship and the English/French lost one.
We turn towards the pier. We pass the lighthouse. The Pier originally built in 1900 (replacing an earlier pier) is a tourist destination with several restaurants and shops. There are actually tours. It is lunch time and the restaurants are full.
You definitely feel the hard breeze out on the water. We walk to the end of the boardwalk and look back. It is impressive on both sides of the pier with the waves pounding the beaches with a bright blue sky frosted by mist as water hits the shore. Between the water and the sky is a chain of the beach huts. They are shoulder to shoulder - an unbroken line of uniform huts with blues, reds, pinks, whites and pastels.
I discover that George Orwell lived as a young man in Southwold. Southwold is very proud. George is dead so he does not loudly dispute. Southwold civic pride wins. But, I do find it interesting. You do not think of George Orwell (Eric Blair) enjoying a day at the beach.
It is a little after 1PM. We venture into one the crowded restaurants that seem friendly and not too expensive. The service is efficient and the fish and chips are good. The beers are very good.
Our schedule is designed around the open hours of the Southwold Museum. Betty is interested to see if she can find out more about her family.
The museum is open. The volunteer is an older woman who is tidy and friendly. She takes her time to warm up to us. My feeling is that it is not unusual for visitors to proudly exclaim to her that their ancestry has lead them to the museum.
I am impressed by the museum. Well thought out exhibits. The museum exhibits a controlled amount of enthusiasm and pride in the history of the town.
The museum is also socially conscious and discusses current issues in light of Southwold's past. Specifically, women's rights and the fight for the right to vote.
As we leave I ask Betty if she saw the "walk through" we passed just before the museum. Betty says "No". It is Youngs Yard. Betty, you now have a piece of knowledge that is uniquely yours to share with the family.
We think about a quick tour of Addams Brewery. We decide not. It is about 4PM.
We walk through the "Yard" turning to our left back to the Crown. We both feel like a light snack and cocktail.
It has gotten cooler without an afternoon sun. We go inside to the pub. It is crowded. It is small and very much a standing bar to begin with. We ask and the bar manager makes an exception for us. We can sit in the restaurant area. Dining Room will not begin set up for another hour. We can sit at a table and enjoy. I like this hotel.
We finish. The drinks were fine. I go shopping at the Co-op Grocery for inner in our room.
I really like Southwold.
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