If you like novel places to stay in, how about a 200-year-old Martello tower? One of a hundred fortresses built along England’s east coast to protect the country from the French navy during the Napoleonic Wars, the tower has been turned into a unique home you can rent.
The 30ft high Suffolk tower, sleeping 12 – eight in the main building and four more in an adjacent, newly-converted boat-house – has cannons mounted on its roof, capable of firing lead balls miles out to sea. The second-floor is a spacious and light-filled kitchen-diner, leading to a balcony with 360-degree views taking in the beach and moorland. The comfy sitting room with wood-burner is on the first-floor and bedrooms are on the ground.
In the isolated hamlet of Shingle Street, the tower is at the entrance to the Alde estuary just south of Aldeburgh on Suffolk’s Heritage Coast – home to migrating birds and rare plant species and adjoins a coastal nature reserve rich in wildlife including sea birds, deer, badgers and hares.
The tower is available for rental from June to October. Three-night breaks are available outside peak season costing £1,445 in June and £1,365 from September 13 to October 13. Seven nights from June to October costs from £1,850 in September/October, rising to £2,775 in July and August.
Click here to book with www.suffolk-secrets.co.uk
