virtual vacation

Over the past week, I've been revisiting our annual September holiday...or more accurately, finally attempting to organize our digital photos! We started off in Woodbridge, where the sun was out and the skies were blue,

perfect for a walk along the quayside, dreaming about life aboard a houseboat:

It was even warm enough for lunch in the square outside the Wild Strawberry Cafe, which I'm still convinced makes the best sandwiches anywhere. And I'm very fussy about sandwiches. In fact, my sandwich was so fab, I tucked right in and only managed a picture of the salad garnish!

Next day, it was on to Orford to visit the Pump Street Bakery, which has won numerous awards, including Best Food Producer at the BBC Food and Farming Awards 2012:

And it was every bit as wonderful as I'd hoped. But my only memento of our lunch at the sunny communal table is the picture I took before it arrived:

Clearly food photography standards must improve--but on the plus side that's fewer images to file!

wet and windy woodbridge

It was a wet and windy weekend in Woodbridge, but there were some sunny spells, during which we walked along the River Deben to see the Tide Mill

and the boats

and drove over to Snape Maltings for a tramp through the reed beds:

Luckily Lilla Cottage was cosy,

with comfy reading and knitting nooks,

and it was just off Market Hill, where we happened upon the highlights of our visit: the Wild Strawberry Cafe and Twist.

The Wild Strawberry Cafe has been voted the best coffee shop in Suffolk and for good reason. G and I agreed our sandwiches were the best we'd ever had, hands down.

And Twist was an equally exciting discovery. When we arrived Friday night, the doors were locked, but we could see people moving inside, busily assembling shelves and unpacking boxes. I went to bed with my fingers crossed, and sure enough the next morning they opened for their first day of business!

The staff were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, happy to discuss everything from lace life-lines to toe-up socks. There was a spacious room in back fitted out for classes and groups, a couch and newspapers for waiting partners, and a complete selection of Sublime yarns--hooray! I picked up some Sublime (of course) and this book,

because if I can't live in Woodbridge, I think Little Cake would have to be my next choice!

sutton hoo

The Anglo-Saxon burial ground Sutton Hoo is just across the river from Woodbridge.

The estate alone is worth a visit: the extensive grounds and views over the river are magnificent. Indeed, one member of our tour group seemed far more interested in the birds and wild mushrooms than in the burial mounds!

Our tour was led by a member of the Sutton Hoo Society, who was terribly knowledgeable and entertaining. He recounted the story of Mrs Edith May Pretty, who was fascinated by the rather unnatural mounds on her estate, and Mr Basil Brown, whom she hired to investigate. Mrs Pretty would sit in her deckchair on the edge of a mound, sipping a drink while watching Mr Brown dig:

On our way home, we discovered that our visit coincided with the Radio 4 Women's Hour dramatization of The Dig by John Preston. Perfect timing!

walking through woodbridge

On an extra sunny day, we drove south to Woodbridge, on the banks of the River Deben. There's a lovely walk along the river:

The town is famous for its restored tide mill, which is one of the oldest in the country. A mill was first recorded on the site in 1170, and the current building dates from 1793:

Moored near the tide mill was this Cath Kidston-style houseboat. How fab to sit on the deck (after taking the laundry in) to watch the sun glinting on the water and the boats sailing by:

We also discovered some wonderful shops. Julie Phipps on Church Street specializes in contemporary crafts and vintage housewares. There are several excellent bookshops on the Thoroughfare, including a children's bookshop, as well as RE + new, a showcase for local artists and handcrafted and midcentury modern furniture.

We fell in love with this bent ash chair by Dan Hussey:

He makes his chairs by steam bending green ash sourced from carefully managed, coppiced Suffolk woodlands. Each chair takes about a month to make, and it shows. Simply beautiful.

eating in aldeburgh

All that walking and fresh air meant we had to do our fair share of eating!

While we did eat in most nights, enjoying fish pie and fish cakes from Lawson's Deli and the wonderful Thorpeness salad leaves from Aldeburgh Market, we did go out a few times, too.

The Lighthouse Restaurant on Aldeburgh's High Street is amazing. Even off-season and mid-week, it was busy and taking reservations:

I can honestly say, the Lighthouse alone is worth a trip to Aldeburgh. I had a delicious, simply dressed lobster salad and G had pork belly with lentils. Mmm!

For oysters, it's a short drive to Orford and The Butley-Orford Oysterage. The atmosphere is low-key and utilitarian with paper-covered tables, but the staff are lovely and the oysters are divine.

And finally, I discovered Alder Tree fruit cream ice. The pear-vanilla and gooseberry-elderflower flavors are scrumptious: a real party in the mouth! And I hereby recant everything I've ever said about the relative merits of ice cream and sherbet...

adventures in aldeburgh

Just back from our week in Aldeburgh, and the weather didn't let us down. We basked in warm autumnal sunshine nearly every day.

This time we stayed in a larger cottage called, quite appropriately for Aldeburgh, Pebblebeach:

Owned by Angie and Simon Lewin of St Jude's Gallery, it featured gorgeous prints and fabrics by Angie (and other British printmakers) as well as fabulous midcentury modern furniture:

But unlike our last holiday by the sea, we spent more time outdoors than in.

I was quite enamored with the seagulls, until I saw how menacing this one looked in stop-motion!

And just for Val, here's a picture of the famous scallop shell. The 12-foot-high sculpture was designed by Maggi Hambling as a memorial to Benjamin Britten. Installed on a deserted beach just north of Aldeburgh, it's been a source of controversy ever since. Locals seem to either love it or loathe it:

In addition to walking along the sea, we also trekked through the fields and forests surrounding Aldeburgh. The RSPB maintains some super sites and trails. Indeed, one of the things we love most about this part of Suffolk is the landscape's diversity. You can ramble along the sea and through marshes, fields, and forests all in the same morning--and we did--but boy do those pebbles make for tough walking!

september by the seaside

We're off to Aldeburgh for the week...

Tim Walker, Iris Palmer and Her Suitcases, London, 1997, Italian Vogue

I hope I didn't forget anything!

up the coast

On the last day of our holiday--with the sun finally shining!--we made our way up the coast to Thorpeness.

I was very keen to see the House in the Clouds, having spied it on a postcard in the newsagents in Aldeburgh. The house was constructed in 1923 to disguise the Thorpeness water tower. Completely mad, but absolutely brilliant! The water tank has since been removed, and it's now rented out as a holiday home.

Across the lane is the Thorpeness windmill. It was built in 1803 as a corn mill in nearby Aldringham. But it was purchased and moved to Thorpeness in 1923 to pump water for the water tower.

Here's G stretching his legs on the windmill's steep steps before our long drive back to London:

fish and chips

Six years after moving to England, I've finally tucked into an order of fish and chips! The shop in the center of Aldeburgh had a comely mermaid:

But we'd been advised to go to the shop nearer our cottage. G very gallantly stood in line in the rain to collect our dinner, returning with soaked umbrella in one hand and paper bags in the other.

The fish was really quite nice, although I must admit I wasn't so keen on the mushy peas! I can definitely see this becoming a seaside holiday tradition (without the peas, that is).

around aldeburgh

Despite the preponderance of gray and drizzle on our holiday, there were moments of brilliant sunshine. So we did manage some bracing walks along the sea.

We also explored the town up and down and from one end to the other: amazingly colorful houses and gardens, fun independent shops, and lovely galleries.

And just look at what was across the street from our cottage:

It was one of only a few chain stores in town. But if one must have a chain store, what a super one to have. After all, there's no brand of clothing more 'jolly hockey sticks' than Joules!

inside by the seaside

We've just returned from our first visit to Aldeburgh.

Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate until our very last day (when the picture below was taken), so we spent a good deal of time inside by the seaside.

Luckily our little cottage on the High Street was just as lovely inside as outside.

And while I might have struggled with browning the top of my fish pie, I've been wholly converted to the warming and cozifying properties of the Rayburn. Absolute bliss to pull up a chair and soak up its warmth (with a good book, of course) on a gray and chilly day by the sea.