Hut stuff for a day out
NOTHING says England more than the gentle seaside town of Southwold in Suffolk. A beach lined with colourful huts, a quirky pier, quaint shops (hardly any chains) and a pleasing riverside harbour.
It’s places like this that make the country (and Wales too) great – great for a day out and great for holidays. More and more traditional spots now combine the charms of the past with the joys of the now – restaurants serving a modern take on local fare and excellent places to stay, whether hotels, apartments or camp sites.
The South West has always been a dream destination with its beaches and wild scenery. Cornwall is like a kingdom all of its own with delights such as Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen on Watergate Bay and Rick Stein’s restaurants in the fishing village of Padstow.
Then there’s Port Eliot Festival, a world of music and literature, this year (July 26-29) featuring everyone from Squeeze’s Chris Difford to comedian and author Robert Webb and activist Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst. Camp, walk by the River Tiddy and eat posh nosh (Rick Stein’s son is cooking).
Devon boasts twin coasts, south and north, both on the South West Coast Path. The southern side is the English Riviera, a string of harbour towns such as Torquay, Paignton and Brixham.
In Dorset, stroll the South West Coast Path through little West Bay, famed as the setting of TV thriller Broadchurch. Stay in little Sidmouth or bustling Weymouth, both on the path and venture into Dorchester, with its market and splendid buildings.
Bustling
Don’t miss out on our cities, though. Winchester has its medieval cathedral (and is handy for the Isle of Wight) or Chester with the most complete city walls and largest Roman amphitheatre in Britain. In Wales, Cardiff is packed with things to do, from its castle (a fairy tale Victorian affair) to Cardiff Bay, the reborn docks area where a walk across Cardiff Barrage gives spectacular views of the waterfront.
England and Wales offer so much – and it’s all on your doorstep.