Aldeburgh Weekend

 Lifeguards hut in Southwold

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to Aldeburgh in Suffolk with a couple of friends. I always enjoy getting out of London for the weekend and when your destination is a picturesque seaside village you really can't go wrong.

On the Satruday we drove across to Southwold to take the Adnams brewery tour. Our tour was run by a very friendly lady who walked us through the beer making process.

I couldn't help thinking that the brewery is full of intriguing contrasts.

Over the past few years Admans has gone through a huge modernisation program. Rather than relocating away from the centre of the village to a purpose built brewery, they have crammed high tech machinery into their old buildings. Pipes link buildings under the road and bottling plants hide behind the facade of terraced houses.

Beer taps on the Adnams brewery tour

I couldn't quite decided if they are a big or small scale operation. They produce an average of six batches of beer a week, with each run making 80,000 pints, but seem to have built the capacity to produce a lot more. I was surprised how few people they seemed to have making all the beer.

At the end of the tour we got a few tastings of beer and wine, as well as a bottle of Sole Star to take away. It was a fun couple of hours.

After the tour we had a wonder round Southwold and a walk on the pier. An increasingly rare British treat.

Local fishermen selling their catch

In the evening we had some great fish and chips from my friends local in Aldeburgh. One of Aldeburgh's charms is that local fishermen sell their catch from huts along the beach. Although I have to confess I'm not sure where the chippy we visited gets their fish from.

While I was in Aldeburgh I also managed a couple of runs. I ran along the coast to Sizewell Nuclear Power Station and back again. Not the most glamorous of destinations, but the views along the beach were very good!

The front in Aldeburgh

It was great to get out of London for the weekend. I always think that the weekends feel longer when you go away.