Lowestoft
Calling it the county’s ‘best-kept secret’ and a worthy rival to the more rarefied Southwold and Aldeburgh, a travel article in The Telegraph last summer proclaimed that ‘Lowestoft’s day in the sun is dawning’. An eyebrow-raising statement maybe, but a fair one too… because for all its real-life grittiness, Lowestoft is a multi-faceted town with much to commend and, finally, the funds and drive required to restore its reputation as a prime East Coast destination.
Visit as a sailor and you might only know the harbour or, inland, Oulton Broad. But explore just a little further and you’ll find elegant terraced homes, pristine sands, designer beach huts, cultural hot spots, culinary delights and countless reminders of the town’s maritime, naval and fishing heritage… plus a warm welcome from those proud to call it home.
History abounds: some of the earliest signs of settlement in Britain were confirmed when flint tools discovered in Pakefield cliffs, on the southern edge of town, traced human habitation back some 700,000 years. In the Middle Ages, Lowestoft became an important fishing town with the trade, particularly for herring, continuing into the 20th century.
The arrival of the railway boosted this and other local industries, while also allowing Lowestoft to grow as a seaside resort; the Grade II-listed terraces of Kirkley Cliff and Wellington Esplanade are among the architectural reminders of this golden age. Heavily targeted during WWI and WWII, as its fishing fleet declined in the 1960s oil and gas exploitation in the North Sea provided significant employment; today Lowestoft is at the forefront of the renewable energy industry.
The harbour and, just upriver, Lake Lothing – the tidal reach of the River Waveney – create a natural north/south divide; along the water’s edge are parcels of derelict land and delapidated buildings ripe for redevelopment. Plans for a new waterfront and ‘sustainable urban neighbourhood’ on the southern side of Lake Lothing would open up this area with bars and restaurants as a focal point, plus pedestrian and cycle routes – there could possibly even be a water taxi connecting Lowestoft’s South Beach to Oulton Broad.
More immediate transformation of the town will come courtesy of a £24.9m investment after Lowestoft was named one of 100 UK places to benefit from the government’s £3.6bn Towns Fund. Five projects proposed – due to be completed by March 2026 – include enhancements to the historic Scores on the north-side, while on the southern seafront Royal Green and Royal Plain will be updated to complement the recently refurbished East Point Pavilion.
With all this, and an inherent aptitude for reinvention, Lowestoft’s future certainly looks sunny!
On the southern side of the harbour, Lowestoft’s beach is utterly glorious – a mile-long stretch of soft golden sand with almost 300ft between the promenade and low-water shoreline. The landmark Claremont and South Piers provide food, drinks and family entertainments while, on the upper promenade, there are more refreshment stops and shops, plus the Hatfield and Victoria hotels which each have bars and restaurants open to non-residents.
Plucky open-water swimmers meet early mornings, dogs dash around and walkers stride out across the well-kept sands whatever the weather… and in summer there’s a real sense of old-fashioned family fun as visitors join generations of locals with buckets, spades and beach balls. All the essentials for a day out are here, and a number of beach huts are available for hire (www.hirebeachhuts.co.uk) – opt for something traditional or one of the new Eastern Edge boltholes (below left); at a cost of £2.6m they’ve been controversial, but the bold design definitely brings the lower promenade bang up to date. Above them, Kensington Gardens evoke the elegance of the past with tennis courts, bowling greens, tearooms, toilets and a boating lake.
These lush gardens and the entirety of South Beach are the setting for the First Light Festival §, a celebratory weekend of performances and events under the solstice sun. Taking place this year on June 17-18, the festival’s outdoor programme is free, while a series of ticketed Sundown Events from dusk on the Saturday take place in venues across the town. First Light Festival is organised by a Community Interest Company which hopes that ‘by 2030 Lowestoft and its hinterland will be bursting with innovation and creative energy’. A sister project is East Point Pavilion (www.eastpointpavilion.com), a stunning Victoriana-style glass pavilion (above right) close to the harbour which opened in June 2022 and is a key venue, with street-style food vendors and year-round events including live music, artisan markets and community workshops.
Some very fine properties line the seafront as you stroll south of the harbour, through the suburbs of Kirkley and then Pakefield. The former was the birthplace of composer Benjamin Britten; the magnificent Grade II-listed Victorian town house that was his family home for 21 years now offers B&B-style accommodation with uninterrupted sea views from selected rooms (www.brittenhouse.co.uk). A campaign currently under way (www.brittenasaboy.com) aims to raise £100,000 to fund a statue to commemorate the composer. To be made by Ian Rank-Broadley – who created the one of Diana, Princess of Wales, at Kensington Palace – the statue will represent Britten as a 14-year-old boy and is to be sited near his former home.
Slightly more self-contained and with a strong sense of identity, Pakefield has a pretty church on its cliff-top, an unspoilt beach, and is home to the Seagull Theatre (www.theseagull.co.uk), plus number of friendly local pubs – including Lowestoft’s oldest, the Trowel & Hammer – and the Ferini Art Gallery (www.pakefieldartgallery.com).
THE PORT OF LOWESTOFT
Situated directly opposite major continental ports, the Port of Lowestoft serves the busy sea routes between the UK, Europe, Scandinavia, and the Baltic States, and handles around 30,000 tonnes of cargo per year. Together with ABP’s other two East Anglian ports – in King’s Lynn and Ipswich – it contributes £360m to the economy and supports 5,300 jobs.
At the heart of the UK’s offshore wind industry, the port is currently benefitting from huge investment with new berthing, offices and quayside access for the organisations, vessels (lower far right) and technicians that keep the turbines turning.
Leisure cruisers and sailing craft are catered for too, via ABP’s marina which this year – along with its sister marinas in Ipswich and Fleetwood – loses its ‘Haven’ name as part of a rebranding to ‘The Beacon Marina Collection’. With the promise of an upgrade to facilities and services, Lowestoft Beacon Marina (www.beaconmarinas.co.uk) is around 20 minutes upriver, tucked into Lake Lothing at the entrance to Oulton Broad; navigation to it requires contact with the Lowestoft Harbour Control on VHF Ch14 and the lifting of the harbour’s Bascule Bridge – a waiting pontoon is available. Between this bridge and the marina, the Gull Wing is due to open late this year, providing a much-needed third road crossing for traffic over Lake Lothing. Gull Wing is due to have a clearance distance of 12m from water level at high tide – a Notice to Mariners will be issued before it’s operational.
During a December 2013 tidal surge over 160 homes and businesses in Lowestoft were flooded, and road and rail networks significantly disrupted, prompting the launch of a £76m initiative: the Lowestoft Flood Risk Management Project. With funding from local authorities, organisations and the government, construction of new tidal floodwalls officially began in May 2021 and will be completed later this year – they stretch around the harbour, the Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club and South Pier.
Contrasting with current and future harbour developments, two evocative vessels are berthed on its Heritage Quay: Excelsior (inset top left) and Mincarlo (inset lower left).
One of the few remaining Lowestoft fishing smacks in the UK, Excelsior LT472 is an East Coast icon – an award-winning traditional wooden sailing vessel, authentically maintained and operated by a charitable trust (www.theexcelsiortrust.co.uk) to provide sailing opportunities for everyone. Trips range from classic sailing days to voyages across the North Sea and English Channel, and passengers are actively encouraged to get hands-on with this historic vessel (see p10).
Berthing neighbour Mincarlo LT412 is the last surviving fishing vessel built in Lowestoft with an engine made in the town. A sidewinder fishing trawler, she’s now a floating tribute to the men who braved the North Sea and is open to visitors from April to October (www.lydiaevamincarlo.com).
Also operating from the Heritage Quay, Jet Adventures (www.jetadventures.co.uk) offers harbour, coastal sightseeing and seal-watching tours aboard its jet-driven boat, Shearwater. THE NESS
Head north of the harbour and – alongside light industry, warehousing and small businesses – you’ll find Ness Park. With cycling, wheelchair and pedestrian access to the sea wall, Ness Point here is the most easterly point in the UK and the reason that this part of Suffolk is known as ‘the sunrise coast’ – the sun appears above the horizon here first each morning!
Set into the ground a marker, or Euroscope (above), displays the direction and distance of various European cities. Close by, wind turbine Gulliver was, when built, officially the tallest on the UK mainland; capable of producing enough electricity to supply over 1,500 homes, it began generating early in 2005.
There’s ambition locally to make Ness Point a Cardinal Point destination in line with Land’s End and John O’Groats. Aside from its sunrise credentials, it’s certainly worth visiting to see A Lowestoft Man (left), an art installation by award-winning Suffolk photographer Gillian Allard which shows former seafarer Malcolm Wright – Lowestoft born and bred – facing out to sea from the surface of a concrete structure.
A thriving ‘beach village’ once existed here – stroll further along The Ness and you’ll reach the drying racks (right) which were used by fishermen in the heyday of the herring trade. Just across the road, Lowestoft Maritime Museum offers a wealth of information relating to the local fishing and shipbuilding industry. The museum sits within Sparrows Nest Gardens – a lovely green space with a children’s play park, restaurant and café – which is located just below Belle Vue Park and the lighthouse (top right), which still operates today. Two other museums are in Sparrows Nest Gardens: Lowestoft War Memorial Museum and the RNPS Museum which focuses on the Navy during WWII.
Steep narrow paths known as Scores lead uphill from The Ness to Lowestoft’s medieval high street, where merchants’ houses and shops – many now vacant – sit within the so-called North Lowestoft Heritage Quarter. The Scores were cut into the cliff by locals going between the village and the town – wander them at will or test your fitness by taking part in the Scores Race this August Bank Holiday. This year is the race’s 25th anniversary; the route comprises 13 stepped and sloped Scores over a course of around 4.75 miles and 401 steps for Senior participants, with a shorter route of 1.4 miles and 254 steps for Juniors (www.waveneyvalley.org). If you’d prefer a more leisurely trip to the historic high street, enjoy a meal and drinks at Mark G (www.markgee.uk), which specialises in fish and seafood and is located next to an old herring store.
Back at sea level, North Beach and Gunton Denes is a sand and shingle stretch backed by dunes – a good spot for birdwatching and walks. Keep heading up the coast and you’ll reach Corton – there’s a designated naturist beach en route!