I've just returned from five days out in Ipswich visitin grandparents, mostly unremarkable except for a small tour of the Suffolk east coast. I visited three places: Aldeburgh, Orford and Shingle Street. Here are a few random observations.

Aldeburgh: Expensive car parking. The most boring town in existence with one claim to fame: it has a local brewery which produces what is recognised by many as the best beer in England. This results in a lot of bored children waiting outside pubs while their parents drink. A lot. There is nothing else to do there except get drunk and leave - a real case of show up, throw up and bog off home.

Orford: More a small village than anything else. Parking is a very agreeable 50p for four hours - unlike Aldeburgh, there's a feeling that they want you to hang around and do stuff there. There are also some boat moorings, and a small boatbuilder/chandler. Also, I was treated to the sight of an idiot trying to tack upriver against wind and tide. He'd get past a few boats, go about at precisely the wrong moment, lose way, return to where he started and regain control shortly before hitting something big and unforgiving, at which point he'd try again. One step forward, two steps back.
There is also a nice old-style ice-cream man without an obnoxiously loud siren. Nice place.

Shingle Street: just a long stretch of shingle beach at the entrance to the River Ore. It is owned by the residents of about six bungalows there. It's very quiet, as almost nobody knows of its existence, and therefore very clean. It's a good place to skim or throw stones, or just sit and think. There was also an RAF/US nuclear airforce base nearby, now closed.

Must go now, got to get some food together.

Zarn"IN-GER-LAND!"iwoop