Enjoy a super family staycation on the beautiful Suffolk coast
With holidays in the UK the likely getaway winners this summer, many will be booking a break in a caravan, says Ruth Brindle
Astay last year at Parkdean Resorts’ Kessingland site on the Suffolk Heritage Coast highlighted just why a caravan park break in this beautiful part of England is a great choice for families, and here’s why:
EVERYTHING’S ON HAND
The family is safely spaced from others in the accommodation with its own cooking and washing facilities. Our unit with an extra fold-out bed in the sitting room was big enough for grandparents and a family of four. Outside are acres of grass for youngsters to run around on and a stroll away is the sand and shingle beach with lots of space on offer where dogs can run around too. It’s a windy coast, with a wild and less commercial feel.
At Kessingland Beach there are indoor and outdoor heated swimming pools, an adventure play area, soft play, kids’ clubs and there’s a Starland Krew of characters for little ones to enjoy. The arcade of machines was a constant favourite, there’s a multi-sports court and, of course, a large restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner and a big drinks menu, takeaway fish and chips and a show bar with entertainment for all ages throughout the day and night. Bingo, family discos, competitions, quizzes, fun sports activities - join in as much or as little as you fancy. If you prefer a quiet time that’s possible too.
You can buy grocery essentials at the shop, but there are big supermarkets an easy drive away.
BEAUTIFUL COASTLINE
Kessingland, the small village where novelist Henry Rider Haggard once had a holiday home, sits in the middle of two great seaside resorts - Lowestoft (four miles north) and Southwold (nearly nine miles south). At the south- ern end of the beach is the Benacre Nature Reserve, a haven for bird life.
Lowestoft is a truly traditional English seaside town with a big, sandy beach, a wide promenade and an extensive range of shops and activities, including a 35-ride theme park just outside town at Pleasurewood Hills. The birthplace of composer Benjamin
Britten, it is the most easterly town in the British Isles - with sunrises as a bonus.
Must do: let the kids run in and out of the 74 jet fountains near the harbour while you relax. Every 30 minutes there’s music to accompany the water dance.
Southwold is a more upmarket destination with lots of charm, individual shops and where you can buy award-winning fish and chips with oysters and Champagne too if the budget allows! The Little Fish and Chip Shop is excellent, but be prepared to queue. It’s VERY popular.
The town’s charm attracts many holidaymakers (in normal years) and it is easy to see why. It has a pier and lighthouse and, although we found it hard to get a parking space in town, just outside the centre there are big beach car parks. The town has also been home to Adnams Brewery for 670 years. You can take a tour and even see the distillery where they make their award-winning gin and vodka too.
Let the kids run in and out of the 74 jet fountains near the harbour while you relax
Must do: I particularly loved being rowed across the River Blyth in a traditional Suffolk punt boat (£1pp, dogs free) over to the picture-postcard-cute village of Walberswick, a favourite location for artists.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
lTake to the water on the Suffolk Broads. lVisit Africa Alive! - a wildlife park in the Kessingland area that sits in 100 acres with 80 species to spot. lGet lost in a hedge maze in Somerleyton Hall and Gardens.