The English seaside town with no arcades or rides but named the best in the UK

IT MIGHT be a little unusual to want a seaside spot without arcades – let alone find one in the UK – but one top seaside town offers an arcade-free experience.

Littered with pastel-coloured holiday villas and fisherman’s huts selling the daily catch, Aldeburgh in Suffolk doesn’t just offer an arcade-free spot, but a wealth of history too.

Most famously, the town is known for its links to the Tudor period and shipbuilding.

Aldeburgh comes from ‘Alde’ and ‘burgh’ meaning ‘old fort’.

Henry VIII himself even gave the port town its borough status.

And later, it became the site where famous ships were built including Sir Francis Drake‘s Golden Hind and the Virginia Company’s Sea Venture.

Today, the town still celebrates its rich history and has a literary festival each year.

There are some famous faces that call the town home too, such as former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane.

Locals also boast about the town’s fish and chips, with The Suffolk recommended by Michelin.

Along the high street, instead of arcades you will find clothes boutiques, antiques shops and independent book stores.

One stop to head to is O&C Butcher – a 130-year-old clothes store selling top brands including Barbour and Gant.

The town is also known for being the home of famous composer, Benjamin Britten.

Today, during the summer months, visitors can head to his home, The Red House.

Britten shared the home with Peter Pears and it is nestled in a five acre garden, with a farmhouse, gallery space, shop and cafe.

And there is a historic cinema in the town too.

However, it doesn’t look like your average cinema from the outside, as it features timber framing.

The beach itself boasts both shingle and sand and backs onto the town, making it the ideal spot for adventuring to after exploring the town.

On the beach you will also find The Scallop – a sculpture that is a tribute to Benjamin Britten.

3

The Times recently named the seaside town the best in the UK.

It stated: “The East Anglian coast often seems stuck in a bit of a time warp, and if anywhere exemplifies this it’s Aldeburgh.

“Aldeburgh is a vision of the English seaside of yesteryear: wooden shacks and bathing huts, boats pulled up on the shingle, strolls along the prom with ice cream in hand.

“It’s super for coastal walks, and there’s bird-spotting at the nature reserves of Dunwich Heath and Minsmere — one of only a dozen or so places in Britain where it’s still possible to hear the boom of the bittern.”

It takes about two hours on the train to head to either Saxmundham or Darsham from London – the nearby train stations.

Then it is a short drive to Aldeburgh.

There is also an English seaside destination where prehistoric creatures once roamed and it has been named one of best places to visit in the world.

Plus, the English seaside district that used to be its own island is ranked amongst best places to visit in the world this summer.

3