A week in Southwold

I've not been away since 2010, not even for a weekend, and my last family holiday was in 2007; so to have 9 days away at the end of June/ beginning of July was heavenly. I'm a sucker for exploring new places and my worst idea of a holiday is one where you lay around all day every day, so this was perfect.

Colourful cottages of Southwold

We stayed in Reydon which is not even two minutes from Southwold by car and a 10/15 minute walk. I've always loved independent and individual shops, while I do love a good chain store you get something much more personal and special from independent retailers. Whether it be a bakers, butchers or cafe/restaurant you often get outstanding service and homemade quality foods that have been made with love and not thrown off a production line. 

The Olympic Torch relay

I managed to catch the torch even though we were late down there (I missed the freebies- boo!). That aside it was lovely to see everyone line the streets, and you know what I noticed? Not a single loud mouthed chav; I didn't see one for the whole holiday- what a bonus.

  Vintage excursion bus Southwold and the surrounding areas really are a treasure as you can see from this adorable bus. The pier and the beach huts make it what it is too but I unfortunately didn't get any photos of them as every time I went to, it rained! Typical.    Handmade leather diamante dog collars

If I had a female dog, that white collar would be hers. I saw so many beautifully handmade pieces that I could have bought but I wouldn't have had anywhere to put them! Some things were incredibly expensive and I saw many fab brands like Mulberry, People Tree, Barbour and Acne. Talk about lust.

Aldeburgh beach and boats  Me, my mum and dad stopped at Aldeburgh for a couple of hours; a wander along the beach, a browse around the quaint shops a, yummy coffee and mint chocolate chip ice cream tub and being hailed at by a builder later we carried on to Leiston.    Classic 'admit one' cinema tickets from 'The Last Projectionist' documentary

We went along to Leiston film theatre which is a striking independent one screen cinema-come-theatre. They had a special one off screening of a documentary called The Last Projectionist with an introduction and Q&A with the Director Tom Lawes. It was aptly shown in the regions oldest purpose built independent cinema and documents the rise and fall of the independent cinemas and the making way from 35mm film to digital during critical periods of history from the early 1900's to just last year. It takes a really unique perspective and I recommend it to anyone interested in film out there. The director-come-producer-come-coffee maker is a genuinely lovely and inspirational guy who bought the Birmingham electric cinema and restored it back to what it is today. One thing he said in the Q&A after that really struck me is how independent is making a return- we see it in vintage clothing and accessories more than ever over the past year, but now the multiplex cinemas are offering an 'independent' experience like introducing gallery viewing, a bar and 'luxury' seats. I even noticed it in a Tesco store yesterday at the meat counter where they had written their special offers all over the glass of the cabinet just like the traditional meat markets and butchers do. Off topic but something to think about.

Olympic flags                                           Dotty Blue cafe     I'll be going back again for sure- there's just so much I still need to see, do and take photos of. Undoubtedly, this is one of my favourite places and beats the like of hugely tourist-y locations like Great Yarmouth.