Sizewell Belts

The shingle beach stretches endlessly in both directions, and if you're standing at Sizewell Belts, you're watching one of England's most unusual coastal landscapes. This is where two enormous sea defences - the Belts themselves - jut out into the North Sea like concrete fingers, built to protect the nuclear power station inland. Sounds grim, but the reality is rather different.

Walkers love it here. The beach is firm, the shingle crunches satisfyingly underfoot, and there's something oddly compelling about the raw, industrial honesty of it all. You won't find manicured seafront gardens or amusement arcades. What you get instead is proper coastline - wild, windswept, and honest. On a clear day the views stretch for miles. On a grey Suffolk afternoon, it's beautifully bleak.

It's a free spot and takes as long as you fancy. An hour's walk is thoroughly rewarding; families with young kids might find the shingle a bit relentless, but older children keen on industrial history or unusual landscapes will be gripped. The nearest town is Leiston, a short drive away.

If you're staying at Beach View Holiday Park just a mile away, or Cliff House Holiday Park three miles up the coast, Sizewell Belts makes an excellent morning outing before lunch. Not Instagram-friendly, but genuinely interesting - the sort of place that sticks with you precisely because it refuses to be cute.