Hektor's Brewery

Hektor's Brewery sits just outside Southwold, one of Suffolk's most appealing coastal towns, and makes for a solid afternoon detour if you're staying at any of the nearby campsites like Sunnyside or Henstead Fields. It's a working brewery where you can actually see beer being made - not just stand around a gift shop pretending to care about the fermentation process.

What you get is a proper tour of the operation, watching the brewing happen in real time if you time it right. The staff know their stuff and aren't precious about it. You'll learn how they do things, taste what they produce, and there's usually a shop where you can buy bottles to take back to your caravan. Fair warning: if you're expecting craft beer snobbery, you won't find it here. It's straightforward, honest brewing.

Go with beer enthusiasts or anyone keen on how things actually work. Families with kids might find it a bit dull unless the little ones are genuinely interested in the mechanics of it all - there's not much to do beyond watching and learning. Allow a couple of hours including the tour and a browse.

Best visited midweek when it's less crowded. The town of Southwold itself is worth a proper afternoon - the pier, the beach, fish and chips on the seafront. If you're camping nearby, it's an easy drive or cycle ride, making it a decent part of a broader day out rather than a standalone trip.