Suffolk &amp; Cambs


<p>Oh I do like to be beside the seaside! There&#8217;s just one problem with that -beautiful beaches are pretty hard to come by in landlocked Cambridgeshire. Good news is, our lovely neighbours &#8211; <a href="https://suffolkcambs.muddystilettos.co.uk/travel/staycationers-guide-to-suffolk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Suffolk</a>, Norfolk and Essex have beaches by the bucket and spade load. Here are our top eight beaches that you can reach from Cambs and West Suffolk in less than two hours. Windbreaker? Check. Bat and ball? Check. Over-excited <a href="https://suffolkcambs.muddystilettos.co.uk/travel/best-dog-friendly-beaches-suffolk/">pooch</a>? Check.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-southwold-suffolk-1-hour-45-mins">Southwold, Suffolk &#8211; 1 hour 45 mins</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/08/1286-southwold-14122021111451-xlarge-1000x667.jpg" alt="Southwold" class="wp-image-27811" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/08/1286-southwold-14122021111451-xlarge-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/08/1286-southwold-14122021111451-xlarge-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/08/1286-southwold-14122021111451-xlarge-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/08/1286-southwold-14122021111451-xlarge-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/08/1286-southwold-14122021111451-xlarge-788x525.jpg 788w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/08/1286-southwold-14122021111451-xlarge.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Those candy-coloured beach huts? Iconic. The price tag? Eye-watering, but then so is the view and nobody&#8217;s complaining. Southwold is the kind of place that makes you want to move here immediately, Google house prices, and quietly weep — but you&#8217;ll come back every summer anyway because <em>it&#8217;s just that good.</em></p>



<p>The beach is a stretch of soft sand, wide enough that you can actually spread out without your towel ending up under a stranger&#8217;s bottom. The town is a total love affair of independent boutiques, brilliant little cafés, and a food scene that firmly closes the door on soggy seafront sandwiches. This is <em>posh</em> seaside, done right.</p>



<p>And here&#8217;s the bit that makes us unreasonably happy: Adnams Brewery has lived here forever, which means the sea air carries just the faintest hint of hops. Honestly, it&#8217;s basically aromatherapy. Best of all? You&#8217;re less than two hours from Cambs. Consider your weekend plans sorted.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lowestoft-suffolk-1-hour-50-mins">Lowestoft, Suffolk &#8211; 1 hour 50 mins</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="470" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/08/22_Lowestoft_Beach__Prom_Jon_Gibbs-1000x470.jpg" alt="Lowestoft beach" class="wp-image-27808" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/08/22_Lowestoft_Beach__Prom_Jon_Gibbs-1000x470.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/08/22_Lowestoft_Beach__Prom_Jon_Gibbs-800x376.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/08/22_Lowestoft_Beach__Prom_Jon_Gibbs-400x188.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/08/22_Lowestoft_Beach__Prom_Jon_Gibbs-900x423.jpg 900w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/08/22_Lowestoft_Beach__Prom_Jon_Gibbs.jpg 1170w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>The sand here is so soft and golden you&#8217;ll do a double-take on your passport — yes, you&#8217;re still in Suffolk. Kick off your shoes, tip your face to the sun, and if you can block out the gulls for thirty seconds, it&#8217;s practically the Maldives. Cheaper flights, though and much cheaper cocktails.</p>



<p>It&#8217;s brilliantly set up for families — there&#8217;s a long, buggy-friendly promenade for when <a href="https://suffolkcambs.muddystilettos.co.uk/spotlight/summer-holidays-activites-suffolk-cambs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">little legs</a> stage their inevitable sandcastle revolt, plus all the classic seaside fodder your inner child has been quietly craving: fish &#8216;n&#8217; chips, candy floss, the full calorific line-up. Zero guilt. This is holiday eating.</p>



<p>Sunny days here are full-on kiddy paradise, but our insider tip? Head to the Pakefield end. Horse riding along the shoreline, dunes rolling out behind you, and a proper hit of wild, windswept Suffolk drama. It feels a world away, and it&#8217;s basically down the road.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-old-hunstanton-norfolk-1-hour-30-mins">Old Hunstanton, Norfolk &#8211; 1 hour 30 mins</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="667" height="500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2017/08/Old-Hunstanton-Beach-667x500.jpg" alt="Old Hunstanton Beach" class="wp-image-5144" /></figure>



<p>If your idea of beach hell is being sardined next to a stranger&#8217;s windbreak, come here immediately. Old Hunstanton is gloriously, expansively <em>uncrowded</em> — even on a scorcher, there&#8217;s enough sand to swing a kite (and plenty of people doing exactly that). Big skies, oodles of parking, and a view so ridiculously pretty it should honestly cost more.</p>



<p>When the kids decide that stunning natural beauty isn&#8217;t quite enough entertainment, and they will, Hunstanton Beach is just along the coast and ready to deliver: arcades, ice cream, and all the gloriously trashy seaside razzmatazz your afternoon needs. The best of both worlds, basically. You get the zen, they get the chaos. Everyone wins.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-holkham-beach-norfolk-1-hour-40-mins">Holkham Beach, Norfolk &#8211; 1 hour 40 mins</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="720" height="382" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2017/08/Holkham-Beach-1-720x382.jpg" alt="Holkham Beach" class="wp-image-6610" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2017/08/Holkham-Beach-1-720x382.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2017/08/Holkham-Beach-1-150x80.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2017/08/Holkham-Beach-1-300x159.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2017/08/Holkham-Beach-1.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></figure>



<p>Bring your walking shoes, your sense of wonder, and maybe a podcast — because Holkham is <em>epic</em> in the most gloriously extra way. One of the biggest beaches in the UK, where getting to the sea is half the adventure. You&#8217;ll arrive along a grand, tree-lined avenue (there&#8217;s a dinky coffee cart en route — tempting, we know, but hold off: no loos until you&#8217;re back), wind through cool woodland, cross raised boardwalks, and then the dunes part like a curtain and <em>there it is</em>. That view. The one you&#8217;ve double-tapped a hundred times. In real life, it&#8217;s even better.</p>



<p>Roam for miles on sand that feels genuinely untouched, lose the kids in the dunes for a blissful ten minutes, and breathe in great lungfuls of Norfolk air. Then, when you&#8217;ve had your fill of wild and windswept, simply cross the road to the Holkham Estate, because this is the kind of beach that comes with a stately home on the side, naturally.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-frinton-on-sea-essex-1-hour-35-mins">Frinton-on-Sea, Essex &#8211; 1 hour 35 mins</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="720" height="287" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2017/08/Frinton-Beach-720x287.png" alt="Frinton Beach" class="wp-image-5168" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2017/08/Frinton-Beach-720x287.png 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2017/08/Frinton-Beach-150x60.png 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2017/08/Frinton-Beach-300x120.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2017/08/Frinton-Beach.png 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Picture by Nigel Pepper Photography</figcaption></figure>



<p>Frinton is Essex doing its most refined, most <em>gloriously</em> un-Essex thing, and we mean that as the highest compliment. This is vintage seaside glamour straight from a 1920s postcard: tree-lined avenues, a flower-filled esplanade, rows of candy-coloured beach huts, and a soft sandy beach made for slow, barefoot, deeply satisfying strolls.</p>



<p>The vibe is deliciously genteel, and Frinton is entirely unapologetic about it. Fair warning: if you&#8217;re secretly hoping to sneak off for a 2p slot machine marathon, you&#8217;re out of luck — there are no amusement arcades here, and the locals would like to keep it that way, thank you very much. Thrills are served old-school: a perfect horizon, good company, and an ice cream that doesn&#8217;t need a flashing light-up cone to justify itself.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brancaster-norfolk-1-hour-35-mins">Brancaster, Norfolk &#8211; 1 hour 35 mins</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="720" height="480" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/brancaster-1-720x480.jpg" alt="Brancaster beach" class="wp-image-11841" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/brancaster-1-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/brancaster-1-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/brancaster-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/brancaster-1.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></figure>



<p>Another of Norfolk&#8217;s gloriously never-ending golden stretches — where you can wander for miles and the view keeps reinventing itself. No two steps look the same. Little explorers will be absolutely obsessed with hunting for the eerie remains of an old shipwreck at low tide (spooky, brilliant, free entertainment — tick, tick, tick), and dog owners can breathe easy: there&#8217;s always a paw-friendly section open year-round.</p>



<p>One non-negotiable before you set off though: <em>check the tide times</em>. The access route can flood, and while &#8220;stranded on a deserted beach&#8221; sounds wildly romantic in theory, the reality involves seagulls, no snacks, and an increasingly anxious scroll through your phone looking for signal.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aldeburgh-suffolk-1-hour-40-mins">Aldeburgh, Suffolk &#8211; 1 hour 40 mins</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2023/03/The-Scallop-aldeburgh-1000x666.jpg" alt="Aldeburgh" class="wp-image-31574" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2023/03/The-Scallop-aldeburgh-1000x666.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2023/03/The-Scallop-aldeburgh-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2023/03/The-Scallop-aldeburgh-400x266.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2023/03/The-Scallop-aldeburgh-788x525.jpg 788w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2023/03/The-Scallop-aldeburgh.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Yes, it&#8217;s mostly shingle — leave the bucket and spade at home, this isn&#8217;t that kind of beach. But what Aldeburgh trades in sandcastle potential it more than makes up for in knockout views, seriously chic boutiques, and what we&#8217;re convinced is the best fish and chips in Suffolk. Don&#8217;t take our word for it: just look at the queue snaking down the high street.</p>



<p>Once you&#8217;ve eaten your body weight in batter, walk it off on the coastal path to Thorpeness — a storybook little village so charming it barely feels real, complete with the famous whimsical House in the Clouds.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wells-next-the-sea-norfolk-1-hour-40-mins"><strong>Wells-Next-The-Sea, Norfolk &#8211; 1 hour 40 mins</strong></h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="720" height="291" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/wells-720x291.jpg" alt="Wells Next To The Sea" class="wp-image-11935" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/wells-720x291.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/wells-150x61.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/wells-300x121.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/wells.jpg 1001w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image credit: © Holkham Estate.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Often hailed as the best beach in Norfolk, and honestly? We&#8217;re not here to argue. Wells-next-the-Sea is the whole glorious package — miles of soft golden sand, paddling-perfect shallows, and a parade of brightly painted beach huts that flip an instant switch to full holiday mode.</p>



<p>It&#8217;s a total family (and dog) paradise: little ones can run themselves beautifully ragged, birdwatchers get their fix without having to hike to the ends of the earth, and four-legged members of the gang are welcome year-round. The café and ice cream van have you covered on the catering front, and, brace yourself, the car park is so close you won&#8217;t even break a sweat hauling the cool box. Revolutionary, frankly.</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-blakeney-beach-norfolk-1-hour-45-mins-nbsp"><strong>Blakeney Beach, Norfolk &#8211; 1 hour 45 mins&nbsp;</strong></h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="720" height="480" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/blakeney-1-720x480.jpg" alt="Blakeney Beach" class="wp-image-11843" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/blakeney-1-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/blakeney-1-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/blakeney-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/05/blakeney-1.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></figure>



<p>Calling it a beach feels like a bit of an understatement — this is a swoon-worthy slice of Norfolk&#8217;s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and it knows it. Marshland, sand hills, shimmering mud banks: it&#8217;s wild and elemental and frankly quite rude in how beautiful it is.</p>



<p>Come for a bracing walk (ideally ending in equally charming Cley-next-the-Sea), and bring your binoculars if wildlife is your thing — seals and rare birds are the undisputed local celebrities, and dogs will absolutely lose their minds.</p>



<p>The village itself is pure coastal fantasy. Flint cottages, pastel-hued &#8220;wish I lived there&#8221; houses, and gift shops stacked with seaside treasures that whisper <em>take me home</em>. Will that driftwood candle holder look quite as chic on your Cambridge kitchen windowsill as it does here? Probably not. Will you buy it anyway? Absolutely you will.</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-the-mood-for-more">IN THE MOOD FOR MORE&#8230;</h4>



<ul>
<li><a href="https://suffolkcambs.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/half-term-things-to-do-cambridge-suffolk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">May half term heroes: 25+ things to do locally with the kids</a></li>



<li><a href="https://suffolkcambs.muddystilettos.co.uk/spotlight/best-dog-friendly-beaches-suffolk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">5 of the best dog-friendly beaches in Suffolk</a></li>



<li><a href="https://suffolkcambs.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/im-a-local-editor-and-this-is-how-im-spending-the-may-bank-holiday/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">I’m a local editor and this is how I’m spending the May Bank Holiday</a></li>
</ul>


Vitamin Sea! Beach trips within two hours of Cambridge

You may also like