On May 16th, 2000, I was on holiday at Southwold in Suffolk, having arrived in our touting caravan the day before. We woke up to sunshine and views across the marshes to the lighthouse and church, towering above the town.

Breakfast over, we put on our walking boots and set off along the harbour to walk to Walberswick, over the railway bridge and along the old railway line. The gorse was in flower and smelling of vanilla; skylarks were singing and a pair of swans were nesting by a creek.

As we walked into Walberswick, we passed several houses with beautiful Wisteria in bloom. At a cottage where we buy one or two herb plants most years, we bought a scented geranium and a cotton lavender. We chatted to Annie for a while, who told us she was thinking of moving.

We had a cup of coffee in a timber built coffee shop that was displaying watercolours of the area by local artists. The beach is mostly shingle with sand dunes. Behind the dunes are some saltwater channels, part of a flood prevention scheme. This is where the annual Crabbing Championships are held.

We crossed back over the River Blyth by ferry - twenty pence to be rowed across the estuary and a short walk back to our caravan.