While today occupants of what is now known as Blythview tend to be holiday visitors enjoying the pool facilities, the beauty of the Blyth valley and the beach at Southwold there was a time when these buildings served a very different purpose and those that occupied them had very little satisfaction from their surroundings

England’s ancient Poor Laws brought violent reaction from some of our forefathers.

If you enjoy country walks, far away from busy roads, where you are likely to see a good variety of birds as well as breathtaking landscapes and some pretty exciting industrial history then may I recommend the path tracing the old Blyth Navigation which links Walberswick and Southwold on the Suffolk coast with Halesworth, an extremely attractive Suffolk market town.

The following article first appeared in the Winter 2007 issue of Green Pebble magazine (www.greenpebble.co.uk). Published with permission.

The writer first came to know Robin Welch as an organic vegetable gardener, a man who loves to work with the earth; then as a walker, a man who walks out over the undulating Suffolk landscapes contemplating the moods of the approaching weather. Finally he came to know of him as a potter, a man who once upon a time had produced many utilitarian pieces for the home and table but who now sculpts and paints clay.

December is the one time of the year when I am likely to go into major depression. Minor signs appear towards the end of September as the supermarket shelves fill with Christmas cards and garishly painted boxes of chocolate biscuits. By the end of October my mood, like the days, gets darker as mince pies, Christmas nuts and wreaths of holly are added to those yawning Christmas shelves.

By now I am dreading the phone ringing and those inevitable words: “Have you any plans for Christmas?” or worse still “It would be nice to see you over Christmas”. Urghhhhhhhhhh!

Beccles, a fascinating historic town, is today largely known visited for its position on the southern end of the Broads National Park and its wonderful ancient buildings and attractive river walks, but the very fact that the river runs through the centre of the town must have made it an ideal dropping off / collection point for contraband.

Below is an extract from Smuggling in the British Isles: a History by Richard Platt For more detail visit his website www.smuggling.co.uk

For entertainment in Suffolk look no further than the county’s inspirational selection of bijou cinemas, excellent theatres and other unique arts venues which play host to all manner of exhibitions and festivals throughout the year. Visit Suffolk Coast takes a closer look at The Cut in Halesworth, a former maltings which in autumn becomes the main venue for the popular Halesworth Arts Festival…