In the Spotlight... Aldeburgh

Aldeburgh has its own special Suffolk time zone. The pace of life is slower and you can forget all your 9-5 worries. It’s almost impossible to feel stressed in our little town when you're never more than a short stroll away from the sea.

Explore the higgledy-piggledy streets

You’ll find FatFace on the bustling High Street, with its gorgeous pastel-coloured shops and old-fashioned charm. Eat a sundae in one of our ice cream parlours or pop into a café for a coffee. We love Chopping’s Hill Café and bakery, which is right opposite our store. Look out for the Tudor Moot Hall, which houses the museum.

Local landmarks on the beach

Our sand and shingle beach is the perfect place to kick back and relax, swim in the sea and enjoy another ice cream. There’s also some wonderful local landmarks to discover like the Martello Tower, huts selling fresh fish and the giant shell sculpture dedicated to Benjamin Britten. The Aldeburgh Beach Lookout is a lookout tower and art gallery. Paint a pebble here and add it to their art installation.

Fish and chips

Aldeburgh Fish and Chips are famous and people come from miles around to try them. The scent of chips drifting down the High Street is irresistible. When I finish a day at the shop I love picking up a bag and taking them down to the beach. Ed Sheeran described them as the best fish and chips in England and I’m not going to disagree!

Sailor stripes

There’s a lot of sailing in Aldeburgh – both at sea and on the river Alde. The Aldeburgh Sailing Club runs sailing schools in the summer months, and there’s a regatta in August. So, it’ll come as no surprise that Breton T-Shirts are a bit of a uniform round here. Those sea breezes can get chilly though, so we always make sure we’ve got a sweatshirt or a blanket handy for summer evenings.

Benjamin Britten and the Red House

Composer Benjamin Britten lived in the area for many years and set up the famous Aldeburgh Festival in 1948. You can visit Britten’s home, The Red House and learn more about his life and music. There are regular recitals in the house and the beautiful gardens are the perfect spot for a picnic or a game of croquet.

Snape Maltings

Snape Maltings is our famous venue for music and the performing arts. It’s set in the beautiful Suffolk countryside and you can walk there from Aldeburgh along the Sailor’s Path. The Aldeburgh Festival takes place here in June, and there are brilliant events all year round. We also head to Snape Maltings for the fantastic food shops, cafés and the farmer’s market.

Boating lakes and nature reserves

Walk from Aldeburgh to Thorpeness and discover an idealised Edwardian holiday village. There's the mere with little rowing boats and the wonderful House in the Clouds, which you can rent for holidays. For peace and quiet head to Dunwich Heath and Beach – or see the birds at RSPB Minsmere.

Carnival time

August is a great time to visit Aldeburgh. Our carnival is in August and it’s a massive occasion. Fancy dress, bunting and a lantern walk: we’ve got the lot! Walk to Thorpeness to watch the fireworks and then settle into a pub for a pint of local Adnams beer, or some of their Copper House gin.

Check out our store finder to discover FatFace stores all over the UK!