CRUISE NEWS
Ambitious plans to go carbon neutral by 2050 have been unveiled by the worldwide cruise industry.
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the voice of the global trade, says its 2021 environmental report shows its ongoing commitment to responsible tourism practices and decarbonisation. CLIA chief Kelly Craighead said: “While cruise has been one of the sectors most acutely impacted by the global pandemic… our industry is committed to pursuing net carbon neutral cruising.” The focus is on four key areas:
Shore-side power An ongoing investment so more ships can connect to electricity in ports, allowing engines to be switched off.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) The report says 52% of new-build ships will use the cleaner primary fuel, up 3% on 2020. Alternative fuel sources to heavy oils also being developed include biodiesel, methanol, ammonia, hydrogen and electric batteries.
Exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) Some 94% of non-LNG new build ships will have EGCS installed.
Advanced wastewater treatment All new ships on order will have special systems capable of meeting nitrogen and phosphorous discharge standards.
The initial aim is a 40% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030, compared to 2008 levels. cruising.org
Twelve Second World
War Spitfire planes will be on display at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, near Cambridge, from December 27 to February 20. The ‘Spitfire: Evolution of an Icon’ display will showcase the legendary Battle of Britain fighter. Adult £25/child £12.50. iwm.org.uk
brewery in 1872 with brothers George and Ernest at the helm and it’s still a family-run business today.
Clearly sensing the impending gin-aissance, current boss Jonathan Adnam opened a distillery in 2010 to produce spirits alongside their raft of beers.
Three years later their Copper House dry gin scooped “world’s best gin” in the International Wine and Spirit Competition awards. Their Longshore Vodka later won the Vodka Trophy.
Back in the lab, once our copper stills had churned out 40cl of prime distilled spirit, we diluted it to produce a 70cl bottle of personalised gin.
You have to wait two weeks before opening it to give the flavours a chance to develop so my Coastal unveiling had to wait but it was an informative and fun two-and-a-half-hours (gin-making, £95pp, adnams.co.uk/experiences/4)
Staying with the Adnams theme, Tim and I strode through Southwold marshes to the Harbour Inn, one of its pubs. Overlooking the River Blyth, its walls are plastered with fishing memorabilia. Unsurprisingly, it’s famed for seafood, all caught off Suffolk.
For lunch, herring milts – soft roes of male herring – and Suffolk smokies, a gratin of smoked haddock flakes, provided the perfect start.
I topped it off with a tasty cheddarglazed fish pie oozing with cod, smoked haddock, prawns and salmon while Tim went for a grilled skate wing with cockles, both real seashore treats (harbourinnsouthwold.co.uk).
We’d been staying just up the coast at the Hog Hotel, a lovely boutique in Pakefield on the edge of Lowestoft.
Named after the humble hedgehog in homage to the owner’s late father’s prickly passion, its visitors are greeted by a large wooden hedgehog sculpture called Dave while its rear garden is home to mini hog hotels offering shelter to the creatures.
In classic bad timing, the Hog only opened shortly before Covid struck and has since been beset by stop-starts.
Nevertheless general manager Cathy Jones and her friendly team gave us the warmest of Suffolk welcomes, while the hotel’s cool grey tones soothed and relaxed, reminding us why we’d been missing holidays so much.
Locally shot black-and-white photos adorning the walls gave a tantalising glimpse of the coastal delights on our doorstep. A host of coastal delights were on offer in the smart restaurant too.
For dinner on the first night Tim and I feasted on smoked sprats with garlic and parsley mayo then an East Coast shellfish sharing platter piled high with Cromer crab, Leigh-on-Sea cockles, Pyefleet pure rock oysters, King’s Lynn brown shrimps and more. Pairing it with a bottle of chilled Provence rose we felt like we were in France rather than East Anglia.
A few minutes’ walk away lay Suffolk’s glorious coastline. Defying the drizzle, we hired a pretty pastel pink and pale blue striped beach hut to watch the waves lash and clouds drift by.
Aptly named Beach Hut Style (a play on owner Anne Neill’s clothing business Walkers.Style), the chic hut contained chairs for six, a two-ring gas stove and stylish Le Creuset kettle, plus plenty of crockery and cutlery.
We sat back and snacked on fresh shellfish then cooked up sea bass caught just off the coast, the aromas floating down the shore.
I’d always envied the beach hut brigade as I sat braving the elements with sand in my ears, bags of junk and a soggy towel and
my first experience didn’t disappoint (£16/day off-peak, £32/day peak, beach.hut.style). Later Anne and husband Tony lent us their electric trikes so we could explore Pakefield and Lowestoft along a traffic-free cycle path that links the two. Keen to stay outdoors but with rain threatening, we headed to the Lowestoft Driving Range at Rookery Park Golf Club for a lesson with PGA assistant golf pro Fiona Stokes. It’s an ideal all-weather activity as the range is under cover.
We were in excellent hands as Fiona is a former Suffolk Junior County Champion and twice Ladies Champion at her local club.
With her calm yet encouraging manner, she made light work of showing Tim and I how to improve our game through small touches – the distance you stand from the ball, your grip and how high you swing from can make a huge difference (adult lessons from £20, lowestoftdrivingrange.co.uk/ fiona-stokes-golf-tuition).
All in all, we had fun in Suffolk down to a tee.
In the beach hut we ate fresh shellfish and cooked up sea bass from the sea