On the opposite side of the River Orwell estuary from Harwich lies the historic seaside resort and commercial super port of Felixstowe. A chartered boat or foot ferry will take you across the face of Europe’s second largest container port, after Rotterdam, to a landing place just on the outer perimeter of Landguard Fort. Built at the mouth of the River Orwell, Landguard Fort, or Langer Fort as it was originally known, was designed to guard the entrance to Harwich. The first fortifications from 1540 were a few earthworks and blockhouse, but it was James I of England who ordered the construction of a square fort with bulwarks at each corner.

In 1667 the Dutch landed a force of 2,000 men on Felixstowe beach and advanced on the fort, but were repulsed by Nathaniel Darrell and his garrison of 400 musketeers of the Duke of York & Albany's Maritime Regiment (the first English Marines) and 100 artillerymen with 54 cannon.

Close by is the Felixstowe Museum with 14 galleries displaying the military and social history of this popular seaside resort. Even the building is of historical interest as it was once a submarine mining establishment. The collections are regularly updated and there are new exhibitions each season.

Fancy watching the constant flow of mega ships into and out of Felixstowe Docks? Well you can from the Dock Viewing Area adjacent to the museum. Even better, why not pop into the Landguard Visitor Centre and enjoy the views while soaking up the warm and friendly atmosphere in the View Point Cafe over tea and cakes or a light meal (fish and chips possibly?).

Time to venture further into this fascinating resort with its many attractive, intriguing and historic facets. There is a scheduled hourly bus service, number 77 that will get you close to the seafront (it comes and goes from Ipswich via Felixstowe and then out to Landguard). In the summer months a tourist open-top bus runs around the highlights of the town.

Felixstowe is split into two parts – Felixstowe and Old Felixstowe. Nestled as it is between the rivers Orwell and Deben on England’s east coast, it is a charming late Victorian/Edwardian seaside town and has a vibrant town centre and a wonderful mix of attractions and activities to suit all ages and interests.

Promenade along the seafront with its fine Edwardian architecture, colourful beach huts and four miles of lovely sand and shingle beaches – don’t forget your bucket and spade!

Overlooking the waters are the glorious Felixstowe Seafront Gardens which extend to eight gardens in all, were re-opened after extensive rebuilding on Wednesday 26th August 2015. They run to approximately one kilometre and are accessible to the people with walking disabilities, wheelchairs and prams. There are plenty of seats on which to sit and enjoy the fine views.

For family fun, win a teddy or two on the games or play the slot machines at the Pier, head to the thrilling adults’ and children’s rides at Manning's Amusements and Ocean Boulevard, or challenge your friends to a round of Adventure Golf. You can’t visit the seafront without trying a delicious plate of fish and chips served in one of the restaurants, or perhaps a portion to take away and tuck into on the beach. Yes, you can still buy candyfloss and get a stick of Felixstowe Rock.

Just up the hill from the promenade is the bustling town centre, home to a great selection of big name stores, plus boutiques, crafts, gifts and independent shops – pick up something special as a souvenir of your day by the sea, then relax with a classic cream tea on the cliff-tops. The rather unique Palace Cinema shows all the latest releases but retains the niceties of customers being able to order tea, coffee or cold drinks and a selection of snacks (bacon sandwich for example) which will be delivered to your seat. In the same building is a Bingo Hall where the excited calls of HOUSE ring around the seated players.

As this is a personal piece written to encourage people to come and discover Felixstowe, I feel I should include some of my favourite eating establishments, which are listed in no particular order.


Hamilton’s Tea Rooms and Restaurant gives you an upstairs view over Hamilton Road while enjoying simple but excellent food, well cooked and served by the lovely ladies. (http://www.hamiltons-tea-rooms.co.uk).

At the other end of the main shopping street is Saigon, offering delicious and different Vietnamese and Chinese dishes.

The Regal Fish Bar & Restaurant (http://theregalrestaurant.com) which is a few steps away from Manning’s Amusements.

Cafe Bencotto ( http://www.cafebencotto.co.uk) on Hamilton Road offering Italian style food.

The Brook Hotel on Orwell Road (http://www.brookhotelfelixstowe.com) who serve up a really good Sunday Buffet lunch.

The Owl & Pussycat (http://www.owlandpussycat-felixstowe.co.uk), a brewery owned pub serving meals, including breakfast, and is very handy if you are shopping in Morrisons.

The Fish Dish Fish and Chips Restaurant (http://myfishdish.co.uk) on the seafront opposite the Pier. Try their home made Fish Pie.

The Alex (http://www.alexcafebar.co.uk) , also on the seafront but further along towards the Spa Theatre, which offers a deli-style restaurant and bar downstairs. I have yet to venture upstairs.

Finally, even further along the front is Fludyers (http://www.thefludyers.co.uk) a pub, restaurant and hotel from whose terrace you can watch the moon rise over the sea.

There are a lot more I have not mentioned because I have yet to sample their wares.

There are some very interesting annual events that take place in Felixstowe.

The annual Felixstowe Book Festival - Please visit http://felixstowebookfestival.co.uk for details of the 2016 Festival.

The annual Art on the Prom which takes place on a September Sunday from 10am-4pm all along the sea front from the pier to the Spa Gardens. Please visit http://www.artontheprom.org for more information.

The Carnival and Air show will be held in July. For details please visit http://www.felixstowecarnival.org .

At the northern end of the town is the charming fishing and sailing hamlet of Felixstowe Ferry (Old Felixstowe). Take a walk along the banks beside the River Deben, pick up some fresh fish for tea and see how many of the iconic Napoleonic Martello Towers you can spot. The nearby Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club offers players a great challenge on a traditional seaside links course. The Ferry Café offers great breakfasts and lunches in an American Diner atmosphere.

While you are there, why not hop on the little foot ferry for a trip to Bawdsey and visit Bawdsey Manor. Standing in a prominent position at the mouth of the River Deben, close to the village, it was built in 1886 (enlarged in 1895) and was the principal residence of Sir William Cuthbert Quilter. The manor was requisitioned by the Devonshire Regiment during World War I and then returned to the Quilter family after the war. Later, in 1936, it was purchased by the Air Ministry for £24,000 and a team of research scientists, including Robert Watson-Watt, moved into the manor to begin research and development into radar for practical military use. RAF Bawdsey, as it was renamed, continued as an RAF base throughout the Cold War and Bloodhound Missiles were sited on the cliffs until the Bloodhound force ceased operations in 1990. Bawdsey Manor is now used for weddings and conferences. There is a small museum in the Radar Transmitter Block.

Back in Felixstowe, the eagerly awaited opening of the refurbished Spa Pavilion theatre and restaurant took place with a Gala Launch Event on 14th November. Another gem in Felixstowe’s firmament, it had fallen into disrepair but has now been saved from the brink. There are some excellent artist due to appear throughout the year and the restaurant is also back in business offering morning and afternoon teas, lunches and pre-show dinners. For the latest news about What's On visit http://www.spapavilion.net .

All this awaits you at the end of the A14 road, which links you to Felixstowe from wherever you are in the United Kingdom. What a wonderful array of attractions! Perhaps you should stay for a week and enjoy all the sights as well as the hospitality of this super seaside town.

How do I know about this little east coast gem? Well, as a boy my parents used to bring me here for lunch at Cordy’s Restaurant, now the site of The Alex, followed by a stroll along the prom. I moved to Ipswich from Cambridgeshire for work about 10 years ago and often enjoyed a visit to Felixstowe – just a 10-mile drive from Ipswich. I must have loved it as I now live in Felixstowe and can soak up the atmosphere on a daily basis – pure bliss.

MAKE A DATE WITH FELIXSTOWE THIS SUMMER – YOU WON’T REGRET IT


Editor's note

I have to thank Rebecca for her fine proof reading and suggestions, acknowledge great assistance from Wikipedia for some of the historic data, some friendly local advice and thanks also to the Visit Felixstowe website http://www.visitfelixstowe.co.uk where the information was so good that I have included pieces of it in this article - why re-invent the wheel ?