Nice

Here's a post in praise of Nice Places. Those towns or nooks and crannies you visit and say "we must come back here one day". First off I offer you Southwold, Suffolk with its perfectly formed sea front and lovely little pier. Make time to visit the pier, its rather stylish and not cheap and tacky at all, and contains some of Tim Hunkin's rather remarkable inventions.

Footnote: Fans of Real Ale will know this is Adnams country, and I would point out the Sole Bay pub is directly opposite the brewery, together with the oddy located lighthouse...

From the ridiculous to the sublime. Here we have the Akemas Peninsular on Cyprus, and the little town of Polis. This is slowly being developed but remains off the Cyprus tourist trail and has very little night life. Excellent, just how I like it!

Another unexpected gem is the indoor Borough Market in Halifax, West Yorkshire. This fantastic cast iron Victorian emporium remains very little changed since my earliest memories in the late 1950s. It is not a museum but a working and vibrant market.

While visiting Halifax I would also suggest the huge Piece Hall. This giant relic of the cloth industry has, like the rest of the town, been stone cleaned and is filling up with individual shops. There are restaurants and a weekly market as well. Just the place for afternoon coffee in the summer, hidden from the traffic and the shoppers.