Aldeburgh

Aldeburgh (pronounced /ˈɔ:lbrə/ (ALL-bre)) is a coastal town in east Suffolk, England. It has a long pebble beach, fresh seafood, several curious landmarks and an interesting history of survival against being swept away by the North Sea.

Understand
The town is best known for being the home of composer Benjamin Britten, who was founder of the annual Aldeburgh Festival in 1948. A lot of properties in the town are second homes. Many visit for the Blue Flag shingle beach.
 * Visit Aldeburgh website

By car
Aldeburgh is approximately 30 miles (48 km) NE of Ipswich, 30 miles S of Lowestoft, 32 miles SE of Diss and 45 miles E of Bury St Edmunds. The town is connected to the London (Blackwall Tunnel) to Lowestoft A12 main road via the A1094 (8 miles).

By bus

 * Bus 64 and 65 operated by First Norfolk & Suffolk each run half hourly services from Ipswich.
 * Bus service 251 operated by BorderBus runs between the town and Leiston, Saxmundham, Halesworth

By train
The nearest railway station is, a 15-minute drive west of Aldeburgh. It sits on the line between Ipswich and Lowestoft, operated by Abellio Greater Anglia.

By plane
Aldeburgh is far too small to have its own airport. Even Ipswich, the nearest large town, does not have a commercial airport. The nearest airports with regular scheduled flights are Norwich International Airport 45 miles to the north. And London Stansted airport, a hub for several European low-cost airlines, 75 miles to the west.

Get around
With a distance of 2.5 km between the Scallop and the Martello Tower, Aldeburgh is small enough to walk around.

See

 * is a fantastical 1910 creation. The neighbourhood was being made over into an "olde worlde" holiday village, but it needed modern amenities like running water, and a couple of ugly towers and tanks to boost the water pressure. One became a standard stone tower, but the other was disguised as a house perched atop an apartment block. The water tank was removed in 1979 and the entire tower has been converted into accommodation, sleeps 10+1. Lots of stairs, no lift.

Do

 * Walk through and around the marshes along River Alde near the marina and Martello tower.
 * See the site and read the plaques describing the history of the nearby fishing village of Slaughden, which was washed away by the North Sea by 1936. Near the Martello Tower at Slaughden Quay are the barely visible remains of the fishing smack Ionia. It had become stuck in the treacherous mud of the River Alde, and was then used as a houseboat. In 1974 it was burnt, as it had become too unsafe.
 * Aldeburgh Carnival is next held 13-15 Aug 2022.
 * Aldeburgh Carnival is next held 13-15 Aug 2022.
 * Aldeburgh Carnival is next held 13-15 Aug 2022.

Buy
Buy fresh locally-caught seafood from the fishing huts along the beach near the Moot Hall.

Connect
As of Mar 2023, Aldeburgh has patchy 4G from EE and Vodafone, excellent signal from O2. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

 * Visit Ipswich, or take a ferry to Orford Ness for marshland hikes and recent military history.
 * In June, attend the Aldeburgh Festival at Snape Maltings.
 * Saxmundham
 * Lowestoft
 * Diss