Thorpeness

I've seen Thorpeness on the TV and in magazines countless times but to be honest, it was a bit of disappointment.

Yes, there are some quirky homes in this holiday village and a windmill too. A water tower clad in wood, now a rentable home, is a notable feature, the shingle beach is nice too. But there's not much more than that.

There's a boating lake and golf course, country club plus a couple of eateries in this once fishing village cum smugglers paradise. They should have left it alone if you ask me.

Built by the very wealthy Ogilvie family in the early 1900s, Thorpeness was intended to be a holiday village for their friends and colleagues. Unfortunately, the last of the dynasty, Alexander Stuart Ogilvie, died in 1972 and the houses were sold to pay death duties. Just goes to show you can't have it all.

If you visit, take a mooch around, see the sea, have a cuppa after a row on the lake, then visit Sutton Hooe down the road.