Aldeburgh

Stretching north past Thorpeness and south into Orford Ness, it is almost exclusively shingle (pebbles), except for small tracts of rough sand between breakwaters.

Home of composer Benjamin Britten and tenor Peter Pears from 1957. Musical events, art exhibitions. Guided tours available. Opening hours vary - see website.

A 2003 stainless-steel sculpture by Maggi Hambling commemorating Benjamin Britten, who lived in Aldeburgh from 1947 until his death in 1976. The 4-m-tall piece is made of two interlocking broken scallop shells. The main upright shell as cutouts reading "I hear those voices that will not be drowned", taken from Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes. It is meant to be enjoyed both visually and tactilely, and people are encouraged to sit on it and watch the sea.

The 17th-century timber-framed Moot Hall was used for council meetings and now houses the local museum describing Aldeburgh's history.

The lifeboat station houses a RNLI houseboat which can be viewed from the outside by the public.

The curious Fort Green Mill is a four-storey windmill converted to residential use.

The unique Martello Tower (knows as tower CC) is 4 towers joined together and the largest and northernmost of 103 defensive towers built between 1808 and 1812 to resist a Napoleonic invasion. Suffolk at one time had 18 towers. Many have been destroyed (e.g. pulled down for their masonry) whilst others converted into homes or put to other uses. This tower is now used as holiday apartments. The Martello Tower is the only surviving building of the fishing village of Slaughden, which had been washed away by the North Sea by 1936.