Suffolk: Diverting the London Traffic

Today The Guardian's G2 magazine came enveloped in an advertisement by Visit England for "Secret Suffolk: All things weird and wonderful on the beaches of eastern England." Undoubtedly the seaside towns are a highlight of this beautiful county, but it is time to look beyond. 

London's middle classes can't get enough of Suffolk, especially in the summer. Situated near the coast of eastern England its open skies, rivers and quaint villages are a far cry from the congested stress fest of the city. It's only an hour by train and about two hours by car, making it a pretty convenient breath of fresh air.

Suffolk's 'open skies' - taken whilst walking by the River Stour last summer, Holbrook

Luckily for me I have been able to spend many a glorious summer in Suffolk as my grandparents have lived in the village of Holbrook for over thirty years. Home to the Royal Hospital School, it is equidistant between Ipswich and a little town called Manningtree. Horse riding, sailing, berry picking, bike riding and picnicking were just a few of the wholesome opportunities my grandparents laid on for me while I was there.

I don't understand what took me so long, but the summer before last I truly learnt the logistics of Suffolk. My Grandma and I decided to drive to Southwold for the day, and what began as a straightforward outing, soon turned into an impossible venture. Upon arriving, there literally was not a single parking space in the entirety of the town. I had never seen anything like it. Southwold was swarming with people, mainly young middle class families, all hell bent on getting some seaside action.

According to The Guardian, Southwold's summer population "swells to about 9,000 in the summer", whilst in the winter it's about 1,500. Disappointed and slightly bemused we decided to drive a short way to Walberswick, with its long suffering crabs and sand dunes. We managed to park, and enjoyed the beach. Its lopsided beach side buildings were a change to preened over priced beach huts, where in Southwold they have been known to sell for £50,000.

From Walberswick we drove to Aldeburgh. Alongside the pebbled beach and candy coloured houses, it is also home to the Jack Wills hoodie and the Abercrombie sweatpant. My Grandma by this time, whilst "gasping for a cup of tea", was muttering furiously about the wealthy Londoner's who descend upon Suffolk in summer in their drones; a lot of which are turning limited property into holiday homes, only to be used a few weeks out of the year.

Two weeks ago, over a year since our last attempt, my Grandma and I visited Southwold again. It was early February and the sky was blue and the sun was bright. The town was calm, silent and eerily empty bar three fisherman positioned at the end of the pier, and two brave surfers bobbing in the sea. It felt better to see Southwold this way. If its winding streets could speak, I'm sure they would groan as the swarms of summer tourists descend each year, threatening to undermine its quiet, humble nature.

My Grandma putting her gloves on on Southwold Pier - taken on our Winter attempt

Suffolk has a lot to offer all year round, and it doesn't just reside by the sea. After a childhood of wonderful visits and having finally learnt the logistics, I have put together a list of some of my personal highlights to date:

1. The Butt and Oyster at Pin Mill - This tiny pub sits on the edge of River Orwell, and it's all good food, terracotta floors and open fires. If the weather is fine and you've got your wellies handy you can go wading in the little streams by the river, or go jelly fish spotting. There's a few old boats permanently moored by the water's edge, which in misty weather, look rather moody and atmospheric.

2. Pick your Own - Fruit picking is always a wholesome thing to do in the summer. Try Goslings Farm near Felixstowe. My Grandma favours the Redcurrants. She stews them with sugar and serves them with custard for pudding.

3. Shotley Marina - This is always a highlight for me. The marina is situated where the River Orwell and River Stour converge. The huge port at Felixstowe is to your left and Harwich harbour straight in front. It's interesting watching the cranes loading up the huge container ships before they head back out to sea. From here you can also catch the foot ferry to Harwich.

4. Dedham Art and Craft Centre - Dedham is a charming village, and home to this remarkable art centre. Housed in an old church its sells a diverse range of beautiful things. To name but a few, it's got photo frames, salt and pepper shakers, antique tea pots, bath bombs, vintage jewellery, cushions, sewing bits, scarves, old books, new books, art, cooking equipment and a lovely little cafe on the ground floor.

5. Alton Water - I have so many good memories here - sailing on the reservoir or biking the whole 9 miles around it. You can rent bikes and boats, or just sit and watch the water over a picnic lunch.

Enjoying Alton Water in my stripy dress, c. 1993 with my Grandparents and cousins, Pippa and Zoe,

Treasure Yourself: Power Thoughts for My Generation by Miranda Kerr (Hay House)

'I am a huge believer in the power of positive thinking. We all have unlimited potential if we accept the obstacles that cross our paths and learn from the lessons involved we can reach our full potential...In reading this book you will see I have used the metaphor of likening woman/girls to being as unique and as individual as every flower. For example, a rose although it is different to a lily is still just as stunning. Likewise, a frangipani is just as unique and beautiful in its own right as an orchid.'

I decided to read Miranda Kerr's sugary pink book of goodness after a few weeks of feeling down and out as an unemployed graduate. Admittedly what truly sold this book to me wasn't the blurb but the author, because she's beautiful, practices yoga and does an excellent job at brightening up The Daily Mail's showbiz column.

Miranda begins her book with a profound introduction to her belief that "it's so important to keep positive and say 'Yes!' to life." She suggests that if we massage our weary minds with positive affirmations, "and create good, good things will happen in your life." - if only it were that easy.

The chapters counsel you on topics such as dealing with jealousy and remembering to always be thankful. Whilst the first half of the book is dedicated to her good advice, the second half is made up of positive affirmations, one to each page. Miranda sells this as a resource where you can "keep this book close to you" and "chose a power" for whenever you need a positive boost. It's a nice idea, however each short affirmation is made up of about 30 words, which on a single page looks sparse. Consequently this section of the book looks like an attempt to fill pages.

Being one of the world's most lucrative supermodels, a mother, wife, business woman, fashion icon etc. it doesn't leave one with much time to craft a fine literary feat - and that is one thing this book is not. Also the question arises, what comes first, positivity and then great success? Or great success and then positivity? Some would argue that positive thinking comes easy when you're flawless, and worth an estimated $12 million. Miranda Kerr would argue her success is of consequence to her positive approach. 

Amid her mostly practical advice, there are a few questionable moments. One of which is when she recounts the infamous water whisperer Dr. Masaru Emoto, who "made some amazing discoveries on how saying words of love and gratitude around water, even thinking it, could change its structure into something like the form of a beautiful snowflake."

Another moment was upon finishing, the book disappointingly fizzled into an epilogue which came across as an advert for her organic skincare range, KORA. What I'd just lapped up suddenly had a feeling of insincerity, when I realised this book is just another component of brand Miranda; selling her products and reinforcing her famed perfection.

At one point she mentions, "I felt embarrassed about being a model. After all, I wasn't finding a cure for cancer, saving rain forests or working for world peace." Personally, I don't think Miranda Kerr wrote this book to satisfy the doubts she had about pursuing, to what some might think, a perceptively shallow career.

Take from this book what you will. She's a beautiful woman with good intentions, advocating positive thinking to young women in a world where negative thoughts are rife. It's an innocent attempt to share her story and key to success amongst her fans, and let's be honest, she must be doing something right.