The Scallop

You'll spot it from miles away - a vast bronze scallop shell catching the light on Aldeburgh Beach, just south of Leiston. It's Maggi Hambling's memorial to Benjamin Britten, the composer who lived and worked in this corner of Suffolk. The sculpture rises nearly four metres from the shingle, deliberately monumental and slightly unsettling in the way the best public art should be.

There's not much to do here beyond stand and stare, which is rather the point. Walk around it. Read the inscription. Let the thing make you feel something. On a grey day it can feel properly melancholic; catch it in bright sun and it becomes almost celebratory. The beach itself stretches either side - good for a proper walk if you've got the legs for it.

It's free and accessible whenever you fancy, which means you can pop by at dawn or dusk when the light's best. Allow twenty minutes unless you're the contemplative type who sits here for an hour with a thermos. Art lovers and Britten enthusiasts will get the most from it; others might think it worth a quick detour if you're already at Aldeburgh. Families with restless kids might find it a bit too static.

If you're staying at Beach View Holiday Park just three miles down the coast, this is an easy morning stroll. Combine it with a wander around Leiston's town centre or a proper day on Thorpeness Beach. The Suffolk coast rewards slow exploring.