Season: winter
Orford is a friendly and intimate coastal town, steeped in history and surrounded by outstanding unspoilt nature and wildlife. Between the town and the sea is the largest shingle spit in Europe and the area is home to the Orford Ness National Nature Reserve, as well as a lighthouse and the Orford Museum. Apart from the natural beauty of its setting, Orford is well equipped to receive visitors all year round, since it has associations with Benjamin Britten, Suffolk Underwater Studies and conventional attractions like Orford Church and Orford Castle. It’s also home to the famous Butley Oysters.
Orford as a reference point when travelling.
What the beach means to Roger.
A tranquil morning by the quayside at Orford.
Whatever the mood, whoever I am with, there is a Suffolk beach to suit it. For a day of fancy free, family fun I journey to Southwold; sandcastles, old fashioned penny slot machines, a good old fashioned afternoon tea or a glass of Adnams beer. A more contemplative or romantic mood leads me south along the coastal path over the River Blyth to Walberswick and the Dingle Marshes, watching the Hen Harrier gliding through the endless skies, the reeds swaying in the sea breeze, the intricate colours of the heathland forest. Aldeburgh suits a philosophical mood, the pull of the waves on the shingle, the call of the terns and Benjamin Britten’s sea interludes playing in one’s mind.