There is some indefinable otherness about Aldeburgh; perhaps it is the contrast between the middle class gentility of the town and the elemental power of the sea as it grasps and throws back the sand and shingle which make up the long, sometimes steeply shelving beach, or maybe it is the fantastic Suffolk skies, the clouds skudding across an azure sky, the deserted marshes peppered with the skeletons of long abandoned boats. Whatever it is, Aldeburgh has and continues to inspire great art, literature and music. Kathleen Hale, Ruth Rendell, Pat Barker and Sir Laurens Van Der Post (who used to write in the southern lookout tower) have all written works in and about Aldeburgh. You can find a really good selection of books in The Aldeburgh Bookshop. John Piper and J. M. Turner's painting of Aldebugh are well known; it is a wonderful place in which to work and some fine art works can be seen at the galleries - The Strand, Aldeburgh Gallery, Peter Pears Gallery and Thompson Gallery – along the High Street. A stroll along the front, known as Crag Path, is a must. Running from the southern end of the town towards Slaughden it takes you past the fishermen's huts and on to the Thorpeness road going north. Looking south you will see a Martello tower in the distance; built during the Napoleonic wars a series of towers were built along the Suffolk coast to protect against invasion. If the children are not great shoppers then don't despair; there is plenty for them to do whether you stay for a few days or a few weeks. You will certainly not find a row of amusement arcades. Then again the children will soon forget their play stations when they’re playing on the beach, sailing their model yachts on the boating lake, or crabbing down at the quay at Slaughden. There’s a bijou little cinema with daily feature films and children’s matinees in the holidays and half terms and a summer theatre – excellent productions by the Freud Theatre Company – as well as concerts throughout the year at The Jubilee Hall. Both adults and children will enjoy a visit to the Moot Hall Museum, a 16th century half timbered flint and brick building that once stood at the centre of the town. Fully restored in 1854 when chimneys copied from Hampton Court were added, the winter storms and sea breezes took their toll over the years and The Moot Hall was once more fully restored in the 1980s. A delightful sundial on the south side overlooking the boating lake was erected in 1650 at the cost of 7 shillings and 6d. It carries the words 'HORAS NON NUMERO NISI SERENAS' meaning 'I only count the sunny hours'. Inside the Moot Hall stands the Council Chamber where you’ll find maps and local paintings, photography, displays of local wildlife, fishing techniques, coastal erosion models and other items of local interest. The flint Church of St Peter and St Paul; stands above the town with wonderful views over the old town of Aldeburgh and the sea . The church was partially rebuilt in the 16th Century but retains a 14th Century tower. There stands a memorial bust of George Crabbe and a beautiful stained glass window depicting the three Britten parables of the Curlew River designed by John Piper. Both Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears are buried in the churchyard as is their close friend Imogen Holst as well as Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first woman doctor in England. While you can walk up the hill to the church, the Town Steps are the best way down giving you lovely views over the old town. Built around the end of the 18th century when houses in the lower part of the town were being lost to the sea, the Town Steps were widened in the 1880s - probably by "Patent Impervious Paving - 5 Westminster Chambers - SW". For those who found it all too much, there is a water pump to the south side of the steps, first erected in 1840 and renovated in 1979. Three hotels with lovely sea views are The White Lion, Aldeburgh’s oldest hotel, The Brudenell Hotel, situated just above the beach at the south end of town with views of the River Alde, sea and the surrounding marshlands and the elegant, Wentworth Hotel and Restaurant. There are some lovely self-catering cottages and really elegant larger properties, ideal for a family get together or a special occasion. There is ample choice when it comes to food from lip smacking battered fish at The Aldeburgh Fish And Chip Shop to fine gastronomy and nice wines at The Lighthouse and 152, both on the High Street. For those with a taste for Suffolk's famous Adnams brews there is no shortage of good pubs and olde-worlde inns but the Mill Inn and The Cross Keys remain popular choices.