Southwold Harbour

The harbour at Southwold is where the town actually comes alive - a working fishing port that hasn't turned itself into a theme park version of a seaside village. Watch the boats come and go, grab fish and chips from one of the proper places, and you'll understand why people keep coming back.

It's genuinely small and doesn't take long to walk around. Thirty minutes if you're wandering, an hour if you stop for a drink at the harbourside pubs and watch the water. The real draw is the atmosphere - it feels like actual Suffolk, not a postcard. You'll see local fishermen, tourists, the odd seal poking its head up. Kids won't be enthralled for hours, but they'll enjoy the boats and the ice cream shops nearby.

Free to wander around, though obviously you'll spend money at the restaurants and cafes if you want to linger. Best visited early morning or late afternoon when the light's good and the crowds thin out. Summer weekends get rammed.

If you're camping at Pigs in Blankets just down the road, it's an easy fifteen-minute walk into town. Same goes for Cliff House Holiday Park a bit further on. The harbour pairs well with Southwold's pier and the beach itself - you can easily spend a full day in the town without feeling rushed. It's the kind of place that rewards a slow morning rather than a quick tick-box visit.