Thorpeness boating lake

The lake at Thorpeness is an oddly charming creation - an Edwardian resort's answer to Venice, complete with a mock Venetian bridge and rowboats that wouldn't look out of place in a P.G. Wodehouse novel. It's artificial, yes, but that's rather the point. Built in the 1910s as part of a deliberate seaside community project, the water reflects a specific vision of leisure that's somehow survived into the modern day.

You can rent a boat and potter about if that appeals - drifting past the surrounding houses and gardens takes the best part of an hour. The walk around the perimeter is flat and manageable, taking roughly thirty to forty minutes at a stroll. It's the sort of place where you notice things: the boathouse, the particular quality of light on the water on a still day, the fact that families have been coming here for generations and it hasn't become overtly commercialised.

Families with young children will get an afternoon out of it. Walkers using it as a waypoint between Leiston and the coast won't regret the detour. History buffs interested in Edwardian town planning will find it genuinely interesting. The thing is, it works best if you're already in the area - say, staying at Beach View Holiday Park just down the road - rather than as a destination in itself.

Access is free and unrestricted as far as the walking goes. Boat hire charges presumably apply, though specific rates aren't confirmed. The real appeal is the oddness of the thing - a piece of deliberate artificiality that's somehow become rather genuine with age.