Southwold & Covehithe - 4th April ‘25

The last day so we decided to eat out for breakfast. We took our lives in our hands to cross the A12 and then picked up a pretty little footpath in to the village of Yoxford. We walked up the High Street and found the Black Dog deli. A local chain of coffee shops with really nice coffee and food - albeit at a steepish price tag.

We decided that today was going to be Tilly focussed. After the beach disappointment of yesterday we wanted her to get a good run on a sandy beach before we headed home.  

We knew Southwold beach was sandy so that’s where we headed. We parked up, fortified ourselves with an ice cream then found a sheltered (ish?) spot on the dunes to settle down for a bit. Di and I snuggled into keep warm (the sun was out but the wind was quite chilly) while Tilly ventured onto the main beach for an explore. 

After a couple of hours, as enjoyable as it was, we thought we would try another beach - Covehithe. The guide books said it was sandy, quite isolated and very quiet - perfect!

We parked up by the village church and walked down a footpath to the beach. It was indeed secluded and quite spooky in some ways. The erosion is very visible here with lots of decaying trees and vegetation cut off by the encroaching sea. We had about an hours walk up and down the beach - seeing only 2 or 3 fellow beach walkers during that time.

On returning back to Brunnehilda we decided to eat locally and popped back to the Kings Head for another delicious burger / pizza. We had a long chat with a lovely waitress. We were trying to guess where she came from by her accent. We got there eventually and we had a long chat about her homeland of Hungary and how she was enjoying her new life in Suffolk. It made me sad to think that evil politicians like Farage and our appalling client press are trying so hard to make us all hate and be angry with a lovely human being like this. Well fcuk him and fcuk them. 

We relaxed back at the van for our last evening. Tomorrow morning will be all about the pack up and getting on the road for home by midday. 

We’ve had a great 4 days. The weather was perfect, the site spectacular and the company wonderful. We’ll be back that’s for sure. 

Aldeburgh & Sizewell - 3rd April ‘25

The morning coffee in bed might have been the same but this morning we had the second coffee with an al fresco breakfast of yoghurt, fruit and nuts. A very healthy start to another gorgeous day. 

We sat outside the caravan and looked up the hill to the top of the field and the woodland beyond. Depending on the time of year, the field is covered in Sunflowers - hence the name of the site! It’s a huge field so must be quite a sight in late Summer. 

We decided on another beach and cute town - a re run of yesterday’s lovely trip to Southwold. This time we headed 10 miles south to Aldeburgh.

The town is indeed very cute and we spent a pleasant hour walking up and down the high street. We included a walk on the beach but this was far less successful! You don’t walk on Aldeburgh beach - it is very pebbly with the size of pebbles that make any sort of walk a bit of a chore. This was especially true for Tilly who clearly wasn’t enjoying her normal wave running / yapping. 

We decided to eat and drink instead of walk! I remembered a particularly nice smoked fish stall on the beach. I remembered correctly! Di and I shared some rather delicious smoked prawns while I bought a smoked mackerel and cheese pie for solo consumption later!!

After that we found a really friendly little coffee shop called The Chocolate Teapot and “forced down” some pastries! I think my pan au Chocolat had its own postcode! We had hoped to eat outside in the sun but it was too busy. It turned out the cozy little inside of the cafe was probably a better bet. Too busy needs quantifying- we’re talking 3 small tables occupied rather than a throng of holiday makers! In fact, this week has been amazingly quiet. I thought the weather might have brought folks out but it turns out the demographic of the few tourists there were very similar to the demographics of Di and myself!! Who’d have thought it?!

To stop Tilly spiralling into a manic depressive state, we decided to find a beach that she could walk / run on.

After driving through to show Di the twee and fascinating village of Thorpeness we headed for Sizewell. Could there ever be 2 different places side by side? Thorpeness looks like a set from the Stepford Wives while visiting  Sizewell feels like you’re stepped into a scene from Chernobyl!!

Tilly did get a run - although there wasn’t much sand. We found a sheltered spot behind a fishing boat and had a lie down on the picnic rug. Di read her Kindle and I just relaxed and opened all my senses to take it all in!

We headed back to Brunnehilda, got spruced up and headed out for an evening meal. We arrived at the recommended Queens at Dennington just as it was opening. It’s a lovely old pub with a strong local reputation for good food. And gee it was good -especially the Malteser Sundaes that Di and I agreed it would be rude to share so we had one each!

Back to Brunnehilda for some Earl Grey and more TV binging. We ended the day debating what we could do with the 2 geese eggs the farmer gave us earlier in the day - apparently they make nice cakes?!

Walberswick & Southwold - 2nd April ‘ 25

Brunnehilda’s blinds / curtains couldn’t keep the sun from waking us up. Well it was more like the combination of the background noise from a very busy A12 and an extremely noisy farm rooster!

Di and our Brunnehilda morning routine has developed as 2 cups of coffee and reading our respective online newspapers. Although I have to say with me it’s more the daily puzzles than any attempt to keep up with the news. Everyday gets more crazier and crazier as the Orange Narcissist continues to wreak havoc with world economies and political stability.

Today was always going to be about Southwold. Both Di and I have been before. The most recent time for me was a lovely family holiday just 3 months after Kim passed away and booked to help us all come together and celebrate her memory. So Southwold is, and always will be, a very special place for me. 

We thought it might be nice to walk Tilly along the beach into the town. The plan being simply to wear her out before the town / shops! We parked up in the centre of Walberswick and had a mooch around - including a very nice coffee and cheese scone / flapjack in the sunny courtyard of the village cafe. 

We then moved down to the main car park by the water. This is normally packed in the summer but today we shared with about 4 other cars. The usual fun and games paying for our session using an online App and then a short stroll over to the ferry across the river - £2 each (and the dog was free) for the 30 second journey.

The walk up the beach into Southwold only took us about 20 minutes but was thoroughly enjoyed by all 3 of us. It is very windy today and was quite chilly if you strayed into an area that was shaded from the sun. 

This was the first of many times this week where I contemplated about how much better it was to be sharing a beach walk with another human being rather than just a manic Collie! Someone to share the beauty and inspiration with and focus on chat, fun and be in the moment rather than thinking back to the past constantly and dwelling on what’s been missed!

We had a smashing walk up and down the high street . Di bought a couple of things from a charity shop - this being Southwold, it was a very up market charity shop! It culminated in a visit to the local bakery coffee shop - the 2 Magpies. Di  I shared a croque monsieur and Tilly and I shared a mammoth sausage roll - you can do the maths!!!

More walking then - off to the famous pier and then a leisurely promenade up and down it. As with most of our short walks, this too culminated in more treats. This time it was 2 very generous helpings of ice cream! 

We walked back across the golf course, over the bridge (further down the river) and along the banks of the river. 

By the time we got back to the car at Walberswick we fancied a drink!

Kim and I had really enjoyed Dunwich so we headed there for a quick beach walk first and then a drink at the Ship Inn. It was getting very cold by now so the beach walk was only for about 20 mins and the pub garden was ignored for the warmth of the conservatory. 

Then it was the quick journey home to Brunnehilda. Di wasn’t hungry but I couldn’t resist reheating the chilli I brought from home. I had this with a cuppa as we watched this weeks TV binge! The very wonderfully scripted and acted This City is Ours. 

A smashing day with lots of happy old memories for us both to think back on and loads of lovely new memories created.

Suffolk Trip - 1st April ‘25

The second trip of the year - this time not Northumberland or Derbyshire but back to Suffolk.

Unlike trips on my own with Brunnehilda, this and the last trip (in February to Embleton) the Travels With Brunnehilda blog has been written retrospectively. When I’m on my own there always seems lots of time to consider what I’m going to write and then to write it up. When I’m not travelling on my own that time seems to disappear - which I guess is a good thing. Someone to talk to during the day rather than consider what I’m going to write. Someone to spend time with in the evening rather than tapping on my phone!

We were due to be on site by 2 but I had a puncture the day before and I didn’t have that fixed until after lunchtime. So we didn’t leave Welton until gone 3pm. It was a good and quick journey with no stop and arriving soon after 6pm.

With Di as my co traveller again the set up was quick and easy too. She got in with doing all the stuff in the van while I sorted the outside. By 7 we were having our first cup of tea.

The site is amazing! It’s called Sunflower House in the charming wee Village of Yoxford. It’s right on the A12 so easy to access. Although we had a bit of a stand off in the village just before Yoxford. A very angry woman refused to back up for me (a caravan!) at a narrow part of the main road. She furiously gesticulated at me (and the 2 cars behind) to back up and let her through. She finally realised that was never gunna happen and greeted our wave of thanks when she did eventually back up with a tyraid of pure hate, anger and venom! Poor woman .. God knows she’s got going on in her life that she’s having to deal but I’m glad I’m not living in her head!!

The site is on a farm with a huge field leading into an area of woodland (with a pond). There are lovely walkways available to take the dog. Although the curious goats and angry geese weren’t that pleased to see Tilly.

We were quite tired after a long day so walked the 200 yards down the A12 to the Kings Head. A lively friendly little local pub. I had an amazing steak burger and Di had a chicken burger. We shared some very naughty fries smothered in all sorts of bad stuff!!

The day has been sunny from sun up to sun set. The rest of the week was forecasted to be exactly the same each day. And they were right - 4 days of nothing but bright blue skies and continuous sunshine - wonderful!