We set off from Norwich on what promised to be a perfect summer afternoon, only to discover halfway along the A146 that I’d somehow packed the dog’s lead but not a single pair of sunglasses. By the time we reached the outskirts of Lowestoft the sky had turned that soft, pale blue you only seem to get on the East Anglian coast, and the satnav cheerfully announced we’d arrived at Seaview just as a rogue seagull dive-bombed the windscreen.

The cottage sat at the end of a short lane, its whitewashed walls catching the late light and the faint smell of salt already drifting through the open car window. We tumbled out, shook the crumbs off the map, and decided the best way to shake off the journey was a gentle stroll along the promenade. The tide was well out, leaving wide stretches of damp sand perfect for bare feet, and within minutes the mishap with the sunglasses felt like exactly the right excuse to squint dramatically at the horizon like an old sea captain.

We followed the coastal path north, the breeze light enough to keep us cool yet warm enough that jumpers stayed in the rucksack. Every so often we paused to watch a fishing boat chug past or to let Barney the spaniel investigate yet another promising rock pool. By the time we reached the little café at the edge of town the clouds had begun to gather, turning what had been a blazing afternoon into something softer and altogether more British. We ducked inside for ice creams anyway, sitting by the window while fat drops started to speckle the glass.

It struck me, watching the weather shift so quickly, how much of a Suffolk holiday is really about rolling with whatever the sky decides. We’d planned a longer cliff-top loop for the next morning, but the sudden shower reminded us that a shorter walk back along the beach, shoes in hand, could be just as satisfying. The damp sand cooled our feet, and the occasional shaft of sunlight breaking through made everything look newly rinsed.

Back at Seaview we dried Barney with an old towel, brewed tea, and watched the last of the light slide over the waves. The sunglasses were still missing, of course, but the day had already given us more than enough brightness to make up for it.