Our top Suffolk beaches to visit this Spring and how to vote for your …
It’s an open secret that Suffolk has some of the best beaches in the UK. The county’s 50-mile-long coastline is home to a number of stunning beaches that attract visitors from far and wide even during the Winter months.
With the Easter holidays now here, many of us will be heading to the coast for a walk or simply to relax, all while soaking up some welcome Spring sunshine. Choosing the right beach to spend the day at depends on your circumstances, such as whether you’re going with children or a dog, but thankfully Suffolk’s coastline caters for everyone.
Here at SuffolkLive we think all of our county’s beaches have their own unique charm and choosing the ‘best’ few is a nigh on impossible task. But guess what, we’re going to give it a go anyway!
We’ve picked out five Suffolk beaches we think you should visit this Spring. Some you’ll have definitely visited before, but one or two may even test your geography skills.
Tell us your favourite Suffolk beach by voting in our poll at the end of the end of the article. So, without further ado, let the battle of the beaches commence!
Lowestoft South Beach
Lowestoft’s South Beach is perfect for an Easter stroll (Image: Cambridge News)
A list of the best Suffolk beaches wouldn’t look right without the inclusion of Lowestoft. The town’s beaches are split into two – North and South – but we think South has just about done enough to warrant a place in our top five.
The huge, sandy beach is just a short walk from the famous Claremont and South Piers, so you won’t be short of things to do when spending a day there. Pakefield Beach, located just south of Lowestoft, deserves an honourable mention.
The seafront is littered with quaint little cafes where you can call in for a bite to eat after a stroll by the shore. Next up, Dunwich!
Dunwich
Tucked away on the Suffolk coast, Dunwich beach is a quiet and serene wonderland, with natural sights galore. The beach is covered in pebbles and stones with the odd patch of sand, and is surrounded by the atmospheric Dunwich Heath.
Along with the incredible beach and heath, you can also wander around what remains of the village today. Dunwich can get rather busy at peak times, such as Easter, so you’re best off arriving early to secure a space in the car park.
A café serving delicious fish and chips is located right next to the beach, so there’s no need to faff around making sandwiches if you can’t be bothered. Just be prepared for a bit of a queue, but it’s worth it!
Benacre
Benacre beach is ideal for escaping the crowds this Easter (Image: Adrian. S. Pye/Geograph)
‘Benacre, where’s that?’, I hear you say. This little gem of a beach is tucked away between Lowestoft and Southwold and often gets overlooked.
Benacre can be reached by exiting the A12 at Henstead and following The Street for about half a mile into the tiny village. Once you pass St Michael’s Church, you’ll reach a gate which is where the road ends, which is where you can park and walk about 20 minutes to the beach.
The beach itself is usually empty, making it the perfect place to relax and listen to the waves crash against the shore. Or, if you prefer, take the short walk south and experience the beauty of the Benacre Nature Reserve.
Covehithe
Anyone who’s been to Covehithe will vouch that it’s an unusual and very unique place. With no car park, ice cream kiosk or fish and chip shop, this village, sandwiched between Southwold and Lowestoft, is unlike most seaside locations along the Suffolk coast.
Yet in summer, the grass verges of the two narrow roads leading to the village are dominated by the cars of those who adore Suffolk’s best-kept coastal secret. There might not be much more in the village than a church, a few farm buildings and a row of cottages, but it’s the beach that steals the show.
Covehithe is as close as you can get to an ‘untouched’ seaside village. Barring a few recently-added litter bins, what’s left of the heavily-eroded village looks more-or-less the same as it has for centuries.
Sizewell
There’s much more to Sizewell than its nuclear power station (Image: Getty Images)
To most, the word ‘Sizewell’ is synonymous with Suffolk’s nuclear power station – Sizewell B. But once you scratch beneath the surface, you’ll realise there’s much more to the tiny coastal hamlet than the station’s reactors and cooling rods.
Sizewell Beach is often overlooked by beachgoers. The nearby towns of Aldeburgh and Southwold are far more likely to be the preferred destinations of those planning a day at the seaside, but Sizewell’s shingle beach certainly shouldn’t be ignored.
There’s no denying that Sizewell is off the beaten track, but we think that’s a positive, not a negative. The relaxed vibe at Sizewell is perhaps lacking at busier beaches along the Suffolk coast, especially during the manic Easter holidays.