Shingle

We wake to hail. Even when it passes we’re left with a chill wind that blows away the warmth of the sun.

Stuart takes us off to Suffolk, starting at the hugely popular seaside town of Aldeburgh. The high street is heaving with day trippers, who pop in and out of the plentiful retail opportunities: art galleries, sailing outfitters, foodstuffs, and the rest. The pubs and cafes are all full, so we snack on chips and pasties al fresco.

There’s a Martello tower to the south of the town and a shell-like tribute to Benjamin Britten to the north. A piled beach of shingle runs up the whole coast. Signs forbid dogs on the beach from May to September and threaten a £2500 fine for feeding seagulls.

We head south, stopping for a pint outside Snape. Then the rustic charm of Orford and a happy hour exploring the six levels of Orford castle. Only the prison cell is forbidden us, accessed as it is from a trap door in the gift shop.

A trip to the Butt and Oyster for cider, and then home via the supermarket. Stuart cooks up a tasty steak supper in a creamy mushroom and wine sauce and we all eat too much. Stupefied, we watch The Old Man and the Gun - a semi-true story with a great cast: Sissy Spacek, Casey Affleck, Robert Redford.