Thorpeness | Rediscovering England's Best Beach Side Towns

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Who says you need to go very far for a getaway. Thorpeness is one little English town oozing with countryside charm. If you are a lover of all that is quintessentially English, then you need to add it to your list. Never mind that it was a wealthy Scott who made his fortune designing railways around the world who decided to buy land in Suffolk in 1910 and develop it into a private holiday village, where he invited his friends and families during summer months. The development included a country club with tennis courts and a swimming pool. This was of course we were booked into for a weekend of rest and relaxation. With great sea views to boot! Yep, I was in need of some vitamin sea, though much like most seaside towns in the UK, weather is no guaranteed.

One of my recent posts I shared a couple of tips on how to switch off and enjoy your holiday. I certainly hope that was helpful or provided an insight into what I tend to do on most of my weekend getaways as well some of my longer holidays. I try to practice what I preach here as some of you may have noticed that my trip to India(a few instagram posts here) was not announced nor did I tweet it, Instagram or Facebook anything while I was out there, which left me to just enjoy it all and take it all in with my eyes and that of my Nikon. The only time people knew about it was when I was back in London and posted one or two photos. Sometimes that is needed to really get in tune with the place. With this post I was hoping to show you some of England's beautiful escapes without having to jet off. Especially for those that want to explore a bit more on the UK than just staring at the London Eye and Big Ben when they land here.

Last year I also shared a couple of pictures from my Reiki retreat I did in Munsley. A  cute little seaside village Norfolk, England. Staying at a lovely little cottage with very cute nautical decor to it to suit its proximity to the beach. I am getting rather addicted to going off grid too. Already longing for a quiet getaway somewhere with sea views under the shadow of beautiful mountains. Well this year my boyfriend and I went off again for another Reiki weekend, but this time with a change in venue. That of the little country club in Thorpeness. A coastal town with the cutest little beach side cottages perfectly lined with picket fences and little benches perfect for chilling with a book and a cool drink. Usually when I do these retreats, it's also an attempt to get a break from, work, the blog and just go off grid for a little bit. So that means no phone, no internet =  no social media, no calls and really no connection to the world other than the people around me at the time.

We live in a world where you are constantly connected, glued to your iPads, your mobiles, watches that now come with your emails and all sorts right on your wrist. There is just no getting away, is there? You now have work(blogging, school/uni assignment notifications included) chasing you wherever you are. Things are always on the move with no rest and no break as we take these gadgets to bed, so you are connected 24/7. We end up living like robots. Living like this can sometimes throw you off balance and cause you to lose your rhythm. What I like about these retreats is that there is also no TV watching, so it means all the craziness that we see on the news and TV in  general is out of sight and hopefully out of mind too. These weekend retreats are turning into a little life line to switch off and find my rhythm, so to speak. This coming from someone who works in IT too. I love technology and have always welcomed the innovation the comes with making people's lives better and I am in a  profession that does exactly that, for individuals and organisations. Much of my job is spent around client communications as well as the development side of applications so when I want to get away I want a full and total getaway from all that is involved in the realm of IT consultancy and technology that robs me of my time . Even for the weekend just to recharge my batteries and catch up on my own thoughts. What better way to do this than taking a drive some of the UK's beautiful countryside towns?

The beauty of it all is everything is catered for! With endless teas on tap(tea addicts). Conversations that don't involve checking pinging phones but instead replaced with early morning walks on the beach for much needed fresh air in your lungs. It almost feels like it's the first ever breath, considering the pollution in London's air or any other major city. We had endless coastline with no one in sight, other than a few dog walkers, just Reiki retreaters taking purifying breathes as small waves softly crashed on the shoreline and suddenly, it's almost as if rhythm and balance was restored as you begin to relax with a feeling of just being in harmony. I guess a little alone time with you and mother nature has that effect, doesn't it? Sadly the weekend is not enough, but just enough to bring back a little peace and restore a little balance to ease the mind.

This is such a great way of forcing you to just stop, to disconnect from world, if only for the weekend. Far away from the worlds insanity and proof that you don't have to go far either to have a little R&R. A bonus too was disconnecting and recharging in a room with a view! Our room had its own little balcony with views of the sea and as the day wound down I could hear the waves crashing as I drifted off to sleep. Tell me a weekend like this wouldn't bring a little harmony to the crazy lives that we all seem to be living these days? How many of you actually pull yourself away from life's constantly spinning wheel, if only for the weekend?

I would highly recommend selfishly taking a little "me" time and yes that includes those of you with little munchkins too. I am sure those around you will notice the difference when you return, besides the fact that it's healthy for the mind and body to give yourself a break now and then. If you haven't been to Thorpeness I would recommend it highly. Perfect for couple-only getaway or with the kids too as there is a beautiful lake to go canoeing in, there is a lovely tea house to chill out with English tea and cake, as well as the cute little buildings like the House In The Clouds and of course that BEACH!!!

Suggestions For Beach Side Towns In The UK?

I am always looking for beautiful places to explore in the UK as well as outside of it of course. My boyfriend's birthday falls over the bank holiday in August. I am after suggestions for cute places to visit in the UK,  do you know of a beautiful little sea side(love to be near water - calms me down) Can you suggest any places in the UK packed with character and charm? If there is a liittle village/town even better. Please post your suggestions below or better yet I want pictures. If you can post those on my Facebook I would appreciate it!

To hide the eyesore of having a water tower in the village, the tank was clad in wood to make it look like a small house on top of a 5-storey tower, with a separate water-pumping windmill next to it. It is known as the "House in the Clouds", and after mains water was installed in the village the old tank was transformed into a huge games room with views over the land from Aldeburgh to Sizewell.

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