Attraction1 to 3 hours

Southwold Pier

About

Southwold's pier is the town's one piece of unapologetic seaside, and it runs 623 feet out into the North Sea from North Parade. Walking the deck is free; the businesses along it are what you pay for. The Boardwalk Restaurant sits at the seaward end, with the Clockhouse cafe, a fish and chip shop, an ice cream parlour, a donut counter, the Arcade, the Treasure Chest gift shop and the Seaweed & Salt shop between it and the entrance. Two of the pier's oddities are worth pausing for: the Water Clock, and the Wacky Walk of Mirrors. Individual businesses publish their own daily hours on the pier's website and they change with the season, with a distinct summer holiday timetable running from 18 July to 31 August. The important practical point is that the pier closes attractions in high winds, and on this coast that is not rare, so check the pier's closure notice before making a special trip.

Photos

Highlights

✓623 feet of deck out into the North Sea
✓The Under the Pier Show
✓The Water Clock
✓Boardwalk Restaurant at the seaward end
✓Views back to the lighthouse and beach huts

Tips

→Walking the pier deck itself is free.
→Check the pier's closure notice before travelling: attractions shut in high winds.
→Summer holiday hours run 18 July to 31 August; the rest of the year runs to a shorter timetable.
→The 335-space pay and display car park at the pier is the biggest in Southwold, postcode IP18 6BN.