Walking the Suffolk Coastal Path - Aldeburgh - Thorpeness - (Walk 10)

 (Saturday 20th April -3 miles. Aldeburgh, Coastline to Thorpness. Time taken 1hr 30min)

I was fortunate to walk this section of the coastal path with my husband as we were able to walk to Thorpeness and back. It was a dry day with a moderate northerly wind making it feel quite chilly as it blew directly into our faces. (Upside was, it would be blowing us back later on). The Scallop was my first stopping place.

This iconic shell, rising from the shingle is a tribute to composer, conductor and pianist, Benjamin Britten. He lived in Aldeburgh and walked the coastline from here to Thorpeness most days. Maggi Hambling, a local-born artist and a great fan of Benjamin Britten designed and made the sculpture.

Having checked we were going in the right direction we continued on our way. There were many wild flowers growing in the shingle and the gorse was a mass of bloom.

There are many houses, large and small, of which many are holiday lets or second homes. I think it would be quite bleak staying here in the winter time with the wind howling and the rain lashing down and the waves crashing against the shingle.

First stop in Thorpeness was a coffee shop. A hot drink, a piece of cake and time to warm up before exploring Thorpeness and the House in the Clouds.

Thorpeness was originally a small fishing village which Stuart Ogilvie bought to develop into a holiday village for self catering holidays. It is an unusual place with mock Tudor houses, a tree in the clouds and a mere with a Peter Pan theme.

The Mere is an artificial boating lake covering three acres with various streams running off the main lake. Various islands and buildings are named after J. M. Barrie's book Peter Pan.

The House in the Clouds was originally a water tower supplying water to the village houses. Water was pumped from the tower by a metal windpump. In 1920 Ogilvie bought an old post mill which he had dismantled and reassemble opposite the water tower to pump the water as he considered the metal windpump wasn't grand enough for his fantasy village. Today the water tower is a magnificent holiday let with amazing views across Thorpeness and beyond. 

Margaret Ogilvie Almshouses were built in 1926 for the workmen. Now they are retirement homes for clients over the age of 55 years, and who have lived in Suffolk for three years. There are twelve dwellings in all, each with one bedroom. 

We made our way back to Aldeburgh along the shingle beach. There were large swathes of sea kale growing in the shingle which will make a wonderful, flowering display in 4 -5 weeks time.

Once back in Aldeburgh we continued to walk along to the Moot Hall. The hall was built during the first half of the 16th century and is Grade I listed. It used to sit in the middle of the town but erosion over the centuries has brought it nearer to the coast. It was a key port and a center of ship building as well as having a large fishing fleet.  This coincided with the beginning of a period of prosperity in the town. 

It now houses the Aldeburgh museum, as well as being used for council meetings.

Fishing is still popular in Aldeburgh and there are several fishing boats and huts selling fresh fish. Much of the fish is sold to local resturants.

We walked a little further until the smell of fish and chips made us so hungry we decided to head back to the car and have some lunch. In all, we covered five miles but only three of those were on the Coastal Walk path.

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