Felixstowe

Today I headed to Felixstowe with a couple of friends. Felixstowe is a seafront town in Suffolk about 20 minutes away from Ipswich. Not many people have heard of it, but I know of it because my grandparents had a caravan down there, which we would visit for a couple of weeks every Summer holidays. Because it reminds me of happy summers as a child, I still love to go down there when I can.
For a small town there is a fair bit to do. In the Town centre there is a cinema. There is only two screens so there is a limit of films to watch but they try to show the most up to date film that they can. Attached to this is also a Bingo club (http://www.thepalaces.co.uk/felixstowe.html) which is affliated with The Palace casino in Great Yarmouth.
The Town centre has a range of shops, including antique stores, ‘Thingymebobs’ shops, charity shops, independent book retailers and food stores such as the Coop. However, it also has many brand stores, such as New Look, Dorothy Perkins and Burton, Select, Boots and Superdrug. There is also a couple of restaurants such as Prezzo that have lovely, friendly staff and serve delicious food.
The Town is higher up and overlooks the seafront, which stretches for a good couple of miles I would say. Along the seafront there are loads of retailers, such as Alex’s which serves great coffee and cake, and The Little Ice Cream Co, which makes there own ice cream (Strawberry and Chocolate are my favourite) on the premises. There are also three sets of amusements along the seafront, which are always busy and lively, and are great fun for both kids and adults.
Today we played miniature golf, which got competitive, but I had a sneak advantage, having played on this course many times over the years. I tried to persuade my friends to go swimming with me, but no on was keen. I wouldn’t recommend swimming in the sea just yet, as it’s rarely warm enough, but the leisure centre has a nice pool, with small slides for children and a large slide for older children and adults. The leisure centre also has a kids play area that I remember from when I was a child, and a gym that I believe can be used on day pass option.
Felixstowe has numerous events throughout the year, for example, there is a market every Sunday and on the 23rd and 24th July this year there will be a carnival.
Felixstowe is fairly easy to travel to, taking just over an hour from Long Stratton, so around an hour and a half from Norwich. That is of course by car, so its easy to access for students who can drive. I would also say it is easy to access for students who cannot drive, as the train that runs from Norwich to London stops at Ipswich, and I believe that trains between Ipswich and Felixstowe station are fairly regularly, and there are also buses.
Overall, a great day out for everyone, and something I would recommend all students to head along to if they have a chance.