Gun Hill

The view from Gun Hill, just outside Southwold, is one of those coastal lookouts that catches you properly off-guard. You're standing on a modest rise with the North Sea stretching out in front of you, and on a clear day the light hits the water in that particular Suffolk way that makes you understand why painters keep coming back here.

It's essentially a clifftop viewpoint with some historical backbone - the gun emplacement itself tells you this was a defensive position, though these days it's all about the sight lines and the fresh air. The walk up isn't strenuous, which means families with younger kids won't struggle, though there's not much to actually do once you're there beyond standing about and looking. Give it twenty minutes, maybe half an hour if you linger with binoculars.

The real pull is that it works as a breather within a larger coastal ramble rather than a destination in itself. If you're based at one of the nearby parks - Pigs in Blankets is barely over a mile away - it slots naturally into a morning before heading into Southwold proper for lunch. The weather matters here, obviously. A grey, drizzly day flattens it considerably, but catch it in good light and you'll see why locals keep the place to themselves.

Free to visit, no facilities to speak of, best in spring or autumn when you won't be fighting crowds. The clifftop path is straightforward but can get boggy after rain.