We met Mike by the Moot House and by now it was really sunny and quite warm. Perfect weather for an ice-cream! The first parlour we came to was expensive - £4.50 for a medium cone so we pushed on and chose Ives Ices which had seats inside and out. I chose two scoops of vanilla and strawberry and the ice-cream was delicious and very filling! The kids had theirs in tubs with a wafer and we sat for a while in the cool parlour enjoying a break from the walking and the busy High Street.
After our stroll around the town we drove to Snape Maltings, a collection of shops, cafe and pub near the village of Snape. It was like Weedon on steroids! Keith and Mike didn't fancy walking around the beautiful home and garden shop so they retreated to The Plough and Sail pub for a drink while Sophie and I hunted for a new heart for the conservatory.
We hunted high and low but couldn't find anything we liked so we joined the boys and had a drink and a sandwich (well, Sophie had a sandwich, I feasted on her rocket salad with a delicious dressing) with them. The pub was lovely and was staffed by identical slim, blonde waitresses which went down well with my son!
After our refreshments we headed to the coastal village of Orford but there wasn't that much going on there, just a few people fishing for crabs off the Quay.
There were boat trips advertised but I didn't dare suggest going on one! We hung around for a while and watched two men hose down the slipway into the sea but we all fancied going back to the house and relaxing for a while. It was a good thing we did as the heavens opened shortly after we arrived back!
The plan for tonight was to head towards the tiny village of Eastbridge for a drink at The Eel's Foot Inn and then drive backwards to Aldeburgh calling in at maybe Aldringham and Thorpeness for a drink. Firstly, we got lost in Leiston and ended up under the shadow of the Sizewell B nuclear power station, which was a bit scary! We found the way eventually and cautiously made our way down the narrow single track road to the pub.
Predictably it was busy and we grabbed a table in the garden from where we had a great view into the busy kitchen. The food going out looked good, but again, the portions were on the small side. We stayed for just one drink and then forsaking Aldringham and the Parrot and Punchbowl, we drove to Thorpeness and the posh-looking Dolphin pub. However, there were no clear signs for parking at the pub and outside was bustling with cars so we decided to abandon the idea and head back to Aldeburgh. We left the car outside the house (luckily...the town was beginning to fill up with weekend visitors) and walked to the White Hart which was absolutely packed with people. The queue for the fish and chip takeaway was immense!
Sophie and I stood in the queue while Keith and Mike went to get some drinks from The White Hart. People were queuing up and drinking their tipples from the pub and there was a great atmosphere! Although we had to wait about half an hour, the operation was very slick and the staff working behind the counter certainly knew what they were doing! I chatted to the woman serving and she said that in the depths of winter it's not quite the same!
Our fish and chips were delicious - tasty, crispy batter with chunks of white cod and lovely chips. What could be better? We ate at the table in the house and then played a couple of games of cards before bed. We had an early start on Saturday as we had to be up, packed and the house cleaned. Ah well! ALl good things come to an end!
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