We love Southwold, and we know you do too. That’s why we’d like to invite you to have your say, whether it’s to raise awareness of a burning local issue, or just to pass the time or share some local history.

Southwold is one of the undisputed gems of the east coast, and is well known for its wide variety of local events and attractions. If you’re a keen amateur photographer, we’re always happy to publish great photos on our site, especially if you manage to capture a local event like the World Thumb Wrestling Championships or the Olympic Torch Relay.

We’re always looking for the best local news and views, so we’d love to hear from you. Just use the comment box below to leave us your thoughts. We can’t wait to hear from you!

The post Have Your Say On Southwold appeared first on Southwold Tourist Information 2013.

Fresh from their sell-out pantomime at Newcastle Theatre Royal, where they have wowed audiences for the past seven years, Clive Webb and Danny Adams are ready to bring their Cirque Du Hilarious – Daredevils & Clowns, to Southwold for the first time ever!

Dubbed “The Superstars of Slapstick”, father and son Clive and Danny’s particular brand of lunacy runs throughout the show, causing chaos on stage and screams of laughter from all the family. With a full supporting cast,of dancers, singers & daredevil Circus acts, Cirque Du Hilarious is like no other Circus!

So if you’ve been looking for summer family fun in Southwold, make sure you don’t miss out on the chance to enjoy this hilarious, unforgettable show. Click here to visit the website.

The post Get Ready for Fun with the Cirque Du Hilarious appeared first on Southwold Tourist Information 2013.

Arriving to the Latitude Festival By Car

First off the postcode for all you sat navvers out there is NR34 8AN.

DON’T FOLLOW YOUR SAT NAV ALL THE WAY!!! There are many routes into Henham Park, where the festival is being held and your sat nav could really confuse things. Once your approaching Southwold there are signs posted all over the place directing you the right way.

Henham Park, the site of Latitude Festival, is between the A12 and A145 north of Blythburgh in Suffolk. From the A12 and from the A145 follow the festival signs. Please do not stop on the A12 or the A145 but follow the signage straight into the car parks.

• Those travelling from the south on the A12 will be directed straight into site from the A12
• Those travelling from the Lowestoft direction will be directed straight into site from the A145
• Those travelling south on the A145 from the Beccles direction will be directed straight into site from the A145
• There is absolutely no stopping on the A145 and the A12. Tickets will be checked inside the site and not on the junctions with the A12 and A145. There is no access via the A145 Northbound

Arriving to the Latitude Festival By Train

If travelling by train you can either use Halesworth or Diss Stations – the Festival Transfer Buses run to and from both stations regularly to the Latitude Festival site.

However train services into Halesworth, are limited in capacity and festival goers coming by train at peak times on the Thursday afternoon or Friday during the day and leaving Monday are advised to travel via Diss Station instead.

For availability and to book tickets call 08456 007245 (National Express East Anglia) or 08457 484950 (National Rail Enquiries)

Check out the timetable below, so your not left standing like a lemon!

Arriving to the Latitude Festival By Bus

1) You can grab a bus from Diss Train Station and back again!

The journey time is around one hour and the bus ticket price is £6 single in advance, or £7 on the day. Please note the service is both directions when running but will only run when there are trains for the buses to meet.

From the station platform, follow the signage to the Festival Bus Stop in the RCP car park adjacent to the station.

2) Anglian Bus are running a special bus from Southwold to the Latitude Festival bus station via Wangford, Reydon and Blythburgh in the morning and early afternoon returning between 11.30pm and 12.30am each night.

3) The following local bus services can connect with the festival buses from Halesworth and Southwold

• (588) Norwich / Poringland / Bungay to Halesworth
• (601) Great Yarmouth / Lowestoft / Kessingland to Southwold

Arriving to the Latitude Festival By Bike

There will be bike racks available onsite for cyclists at Green Gate on the A145.

Please note that unfortunately National Express East Anglia have asked us to discourage festival goers from bringing their bikes on the trains as space is limited.

Day ticket holders arriving by bike should use the day car park to get closest to the day arena entrance.

You may like to use our Where is Southwold? Map & Directions Page

The post How To Get To Latitude Festival 2013 appeared first on Southwold Tourist Information 2013.

It’s nearly time for Latitude again, but will Mother Nature give us weather to match the incredible line-up? We’ve checked all the major weather centres to bring you the best Latitude weather report around.

First the bad news: it looks like Friday may be on the wet side, with rain predicted throughout the day. The Met Office reports the possibility of a dry evening from about 6pm, so by the time Bon Iver takes the stage, things might be a little dryer.

Saturday is a mixed bag, with cloudy sunshine in the morning followed by a mid-afternoon rainstorm which will continue till around 7pm. There’s a chance that the evening will remain dry for Elbow’s performance, but we recommend taking a waterproof just in case.

To leave you with some good news, Sunday is predicted to be warm, sunny and not too cloudy, so if you’re going to see Paul Weller, you’ve got a good chance of some good old fashioned British sunshine.

LoveSouthwold gives you all the Latitude weather and travel info that you need, so if you need a hand finding the Latitude festival check out our handy guide, which includes all the SatNav details for Latitude as well as public transport options.

The post Latitude Festival Weekend Weather Forecast appeared first on Southwold Tourist Information 2013.

Suffolk Bank Holidays are always a fantastic opportunity to get out and have a visit to places you may not get to, in a normal week.

One of these places should always be Southwold in Suffolk. for a good old day out or a long weekend in the countryside Southwold is the place for it.

Think of a bank holiday related word, pub is always one of them. Southwold has a great choice of places to quench your thirst as well as a handful of eateries to refuel yourself on those bank holiday evenings.

Southwold is close to many fabulous beaches on the Suffolk coast. Bank Holidays always bring people out onto the sand, rain or shine surprisingly!

Grab your picnic basket and possibly a wind breaker and take a visit to the beach this bank holiday monday.

Another idea is filing around a busy shopping centre, bumping into bustling shoppers, or a trip out on the open water, getting in the fresh breeze of the Suffolk broads near Southwold. It’s a tough decision, but if you do choose the latter Southwold is the place for it.

Over the coming summer there is loads going on in and around Southwold. This Bank Holiday check out what’s happening on Love Southwold for ideas on what to do and where to go.

The post Southwold Bank Holiday appeared first on Southwold Tourist Information 2013.

The new ban on buses in Southwold town centre may make our high street a safer and less busy place, but many bus users are upset at having to walk hundreds of additional yards every time they go to town.

Luckily Suffolk County Council have come to the rescue, by providing Southwold Town Council with a free minibus, which will be used to soften the impact of the high street bus ban. Southwold Mayor Michael Ladd told the Eastern Daily Press: “The bus stop is a few hundred yards on from where it was and people have to walk a lot further now, which could be a problem for those with shopping or those who are less mobile. That was one of the issues raised in the feedback and we have pursued the shuttle bus as a result of that.”

After a period of consultation, the service began operating last week, and if you want to give it a try, here are the timetables. We’d love to hear what you think of the new service, and of the Southwold bus ban, so if you’ve got an opinion you’re just itching to share, get in touch via the comments section below.

The post All Aboard the Southwold Shuttle appeared first on Southwold Tourist Information 2013.

In its beautiful spot at the mouth of the River Blyth, the charming town of Southwold is fast becoming one of England’s must-see destinations. With top-class restaurants and pubs, plus a quirky and truly unique pier-front amusement arcade, Southwold is the place to be!

To help you get the most out of your visit to this charming corner of East Anglia, we’ve put together a handy print-out-and-keep guide to Southwold, featuring details on the town’s history and top tips for visitors.

And if there’s anything in Southwold you think we’ve left out, we’d love to hear from you, so get in touch and let us know!

The post Get Our Southwold Visitors Guide Here appeared first on Southwold Tourist Information 2013.

Southwold has always had a unique high street, with small, local names managing to hold their own against the homogenisation that has sucked the life out of so many small towns.

Now a local historian has created a unique archive which chronicles the changing trends that have swept through Southwold over the last century, and beyond. Former town councillor Ronnie Waters has been collating an incredible archive for years, but now, thanks to the input of retired IT consultant Barry Tolfree, the collection is now viewable online at southwoldandson.co.uk.

Mr Tolfree’s work means that the fruits of Mr Waters’ 23 years of work can be enjoyed by anyone with an internet connection, and ensures that Southwold’s unique retail history is preserved for the generations.

For Mr Waters, the collection provides a way to celebrate days gone by. He told the Eastern Daily Press: “We used to have big celebrations, like for the coronation and the Christmas lights. Whenever there was an event, people would build big wooden models. There was a big fairy castle once. Southwold was a wonderful place for anything like that. Mainly because people who owned the shops lived above them and didn’t go out of the town.”

The post New Web Archive Celebrates Southwold’s Local Business History appeared first on Southwold Tourist Information 2013.

For local history buffs Christmas is in March this year: The Southwold Museum and Historical Society have planned an incredible special event for the 19th March 2013, which will see historian John Holmes illuminate one of the most fascinating events in the region’s wartime history.

In 1942 Lowestoft experienced its blackest day in its Second World War history – the Waller’s Raid. German bombs killed 69 people and injured many more amid much devastation. This fascinating and informative event will help you to gain a deeper understanding of this dramatic event, and to learn all about what life was like under the threat of bombing.

Tickets are only available on the door, and cost just £3, so if you want to enjoy this wonderful historical opportunity, make sure you’re at the Methodist Church Hall in Southwold at 2:30pm on Tuesday 19th March. Arrive early so you don’t miss out!

The post Local History in Southwold appeared first on Southwold Tourist Information 2013.

This year marks the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Britten, the groundbreaking composer who is indelibly linked to the Suffolk coast and countryside.

On Saturday 16th March the celebrations kick off with the first of two fantastic concerts held in Southwold. This programme focuses on Britten and his influences, containing works by two composers whom he respectively admired (Bach) and despised (Brahms) alongside his own third Suite for Solo Cello. Bulgarian cellist Alexander Somov, winner of the Guildhall School’s most prestigious Gold Medal, is in demand as recitalist, chamber musician and orchestral principal all over the world. He first performed in Southwold in 2011, and returns for further collaboration with series director Nathan Williamson.

This concert is a truly once in a lifetime opportunity to explore Britten’s musical influences and get closer to what made the great man tick. For further information and bookings, call 01502 726161.

The post Southwold Leads the Britten Centenary Celebrations appeared first on Southwold Tourist Information 2013.