The Suffolk town is not only one of my favourite places in England but also one of my favourite in the entire world. That may sound a ridiculous claim but I know of few other places as compelling or attractive. And it has the added pull of being just an hour away.
So just what is it about Southwold, which we visited today? Well first of all there are plenty of places to find peace and tranquility. Then there are the number of good cafes and restaurants, the beautiful scenery of looking back at the town from the pier, the wonderful open spaces, the wild beach areas and, perhaps best of all, the harbour. Oh and I mustn't forget the beach huts which sell at around £120,000 each.
Southwold Harbour is a riot of colour and a higgledy-piggledy mish mash of boats both old and new, cafes, fish huts and much more. It all gives the impression of being slapped together. But the joy of the place is the fact that it resembles a harbour from a bygone era. There is some kind of order in the chaos and photographs at every turn.
A visit to Southwold restores the spirits and of course it is also home to the imperious Adnams Brewery. There are many varieties of Adnams ales but most of them are flat, exotically flowery and wonderfully potent.
Just got home from the visit in time to go to the second of the literary season events at the University of East Anglia. This time it was bestselling American author Jonathan Franzen. He turned out to be a rare mix of comedy and intensity. You were never quite sure of how he was going to answer the questions and at times there were long gaps as he pondered the answers. Having heard extracts from his latest book "Purity" I'm still not sure whether I am attracted to his brand of literature or not.