Explore Felixstowe, Suffolk

The charming coastal resort of Felixstowe sums up everything great about the great British seaside. Swim in the sea or the seafront pool complex before buying fish and chips and sticks of rock from kiosks by the pier. Stroll along the two-mile promenade eating ice creams, or take tea at a seafront café. 

In the 1930s, Felixstowe welcomed an estimated 20,000 visitors a day. It even hit the international headlines in 1936 when Mrs Simpson used it as a retreat during the abdication crisis. 

Today, whilst the town has retained its traditional charm, with colourful beach huts and a boating lake, it has also attracted a wide-range of shops, cafes, bistros, and cosy real-ale pubs. Felixstowe has an unparalleled reputation among wildlife enthusiasts, attracted by the Landguard Bird Observatory. Just to the north of the town, you'll find the award-winning Felixstowe Ferry Golf Course, overlooking the sea and recently voted one of the top 200 golf courses in the UK. 

The ‘ferry' to which the golf course gives its name has little to do with vast passenger liners. A foot ferry links Felixstowe to Bawdsey in the north, home to Bawdsey Manor, the secret WWII facility and home to the invention of Radar. Equally historic are Felixstowe's Martello towers, built between 1804 and 1812 to repel Napoleonic invasion. Of the 103 impregnable towers constructed along the England's east coast, only 43 remain - four of them in Felixstowe. Tower P was for many years the Coastguard Station. Tower Q has been converted to a family home. Towers T and U stand at Felixstowe Ferry.

Beyond the south of the town, one reaches the mouth of the River Orwell, home to the Britain's largest container port. Across the Orwell are Harwich and Shotley, both important hubs for nature-watching walkers and cyclists. 

A trip to Felixstowe isn't complete without a visit to Manning's Amusement Park. Originally established by Sir Billy Butlin in 1933, the site has been run by the Manning family since 1946, and remains a landmark overlooking Felixstowe's award winning beach.