AttractionEasy1 to 4 hours

Southwold Beach and the Beach Huts

About

The beach runs the whole length of the town, sand over shingle, broken by timber groynes, with a promenade above it and the pier at the north end. The beach huts are the thing people photograph: a long unbroken run of them below the seafront, each one painted a different colour and most carrying a name on the gable. They are privately owned and change hands for prices that make national news, so they are not available to walk into, but the promenade in front of them is public and open all year. The stretch below Gun Hill is the quieter end; the stretch north of the pier, past the Denes, is quieter still. Southwold's beach faces due east into the North Sea, which means an early start gets you sunrise straight out of the water and a strong onshore breeze most days.

Photos

Highlights

✓A long unbroken run of privately owned, individually painted huts
✓Sand over shingle with timber groynes
✓Faces due east, so sunrise comes straight out of the sea
✓Quieter at the Gun Hill end and north of the pier

Tips

→The huts are private property; the promenade in front of them is public.
→Public toilets are at the pier car park, North Parade opposite St James Green, Church Green and Ferry Road.
→There is no shelter on this seafront: bring a windproof layer even in August.
→Dog restrictions apply on parts of the beach in the summer season; check the signs at the access points.