Aldeburgh, Suffolk: A Family Day Out at the Scallop & Fish Huts

Linda’s family day out at Aldeburgh

We had a lovely day out at Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast, lucky with the weather — warm and sunny without being too hot, with a nice breeze off the sea. The picture below is one of those days that reminds you why Aldeburgh is on the Suffolk Coast bucket list.

Worth knowing if you are visiting with a buggy or wheelchair: Aldeburgh is unusually accessible for a Suffolk coastal town. The long seafront runs parallel to the high street, with gently graded crossings between them — easy walking with the whole family, regardless of age.

Aldeburgh is Suffolk’s most cultured seaside town — Benjamin Britten made his life here, the Aldeburgh Festival still anchors the East Anglian arts calendar, and Maggi Hambling’s enormous steel Scallop sculpture sits up the beach to the north as a memorial. The town itself is a curve of pastel-fronted houses against a steep pebble beach where fishing boats are still hauled up daily and sold straight from the wooden huts on the front.

Main things to see and do

1. The Scallop. Maggi Hambling’s 4-metre steel sculpture honouring Britten — a 20-minute walk north along the beach. Inscribed with the line from Peter Grimes: ‘I hear those voices that will not be drowned.’ Best at first light or low sun.
2. The fish huts. Black wooden huts directly on the beach selling that morning’s catch — smoked sprats, cod, lobster in summer. Take a cool bag; queues form from 9am.
3. Aldeburgh High Street. One of the most photographed streets in Suffolk. Independent bookshop, the Aldeburgh Bookshop, Cragg Sisters Tearooms — properly good cake. Fish and chips at The Golden Galleon is the standard.
4. The Moot Hall & museum. 16th-century timbered Moot Hall on the beach — once the centre of the old town before erosion took half the streets. Small museum open seasonally.
5. Aldeburgh Yacht Club & the boating. The river Alde behind the town has gentle waters for SUP, kayaking and small-boat sailing — hire from Iken or Aldeburgh.
6. Snape Maltings, 5 minutes inland. The concert hall and shopping site at Snape — see the dedicated post for what’s on.

Where to stay

If you are making a weekend of it, the Suffolk coast has more good self-catering than is reasonable for a coastline its size. We use Sykes Holiday Cottages for most of our family breaks here — their holiday cottages in aldeburgh and along the suffolk coast cover most of the price brackets and most of the dog-friendly properties. (Affiliate link — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.)

Practical bits

• Postcode: IP15 (centre of town)
• Region: Suffolk Coast
• OS map: OS Explorer 212 — Woodbridge & SaxmundhamBuy from OS →
• Public transport: the Coastlink and 99 bus services run the length of the Suffolk coast in summer; check the live timetable with Suffolk On Board.