Things To Do
Heritage attractions and gorgeous green spaces; skate parks, leisure facilities and lively events to let off steam; the latest films and family bike rides to the beach… when it comes to things to do in Leiston, there really is something for everyone. What will you choose?
Visit the Long Shop Museum
Once nicknamed ‘The Cathedral’, it’s not just the sheer size of Leiston’s historic Long Shop which is awesome. The UK’s first ever assembly line building – formerly the beating heart of the Garrett Works – is packed with shining exhibits and home to steam engines and events which bring the engineering town’s unique history to life. Enjoy a world class industrial heritage site that’s a real favourite with families and folk of all ages.
find out moreExplore the Heritage Quarter
Trace the Leiston world which grew from the great engineering works and its responsible employers, the Garrett family. Get a feel for how life revolved around Post Office Square and the Long Shop ‘Cathedral’. Piece together the picture through the redbrick chapels, houses and facilities created to support the company town – and spot the hidden architectural gems which predate it. Where is Leiston Hall hiding? And just how old is the tower of mighty Church of St Margaret of Antioch?
Trails & More
Enjoy Suffolk’s Oldest Purpose-built Cinema
Over 100 years young. 252 very comfy seats. 7.1 Surround EX Dolby Digital sound and state-of-the-art digital projection system. 3D superior Dolby experience. Countless fab films and all the latest box office sensations.
Leiston Film Theatre is Suffolk’s oldest surviving purpose-built cinema that has moved with the times, whilst retaining all its golden, rich and velvety original classic charm. As well as a full regular programme of the latest must-see films and family favourites, the venue also hosts concerts and popular pantomimes.
At Leiston Film Theatre, it’s not just what you see on the screen that will have the wow factor!
Head to the Beach
Wild and wonderful, Sizewell Beach is a real local treat. Just 2 road or cycle way miles from Leiston, with fishing boats on the beach and places for a cuppa, it’s much loved by locals and visitors alike. A firm favourite for those seeking less-trodden shorelines for a dog walk, jog, wild swim, spot of birdwatching, beach picnic or pew with a North Sea view.
Sizewell Beach
Unlock the Mysteries of Leiston Abbey
Track down one of Suffolk’s most impressive monastic ruins, tucked away in the peaceful countryside just outside Leiston near the village of Theberton. Piece together its chequered history stone by stone, flint by flint and brick by brick on a walk through the haunting remains of the abbey church and cloister to fascinating view points above the site. Why was the abbey built here? What did it become and what role does its buildings play in Leiston life today?
find out moreTake a Walk on the Wild Side
Urban footpaths, sandy heathland tracks, waymarked woodland paths, beach boardwalks and miles of shingle – whatever your chosen path to explore Leiston-cum-Sizewell, you’re sure to have a mini-wildlife adventure. Here, wildlife corridors have been especially created throughout the town to link up the parish’s nature reserves and special Suffolk Sandlings wildlife habitats.
Discover dragonflies by Haylings Pond or wild honeysuckle in the hedgerows; spot flocks of siskins in the pine plantations, sea kale on Sizewell Beach or an autumn sky swirling with vast murmurations of starlings at Wild Aldhurst.
Nature Reserves
Explore Wild Aldhurst
Discover Leiston’s brand new wildlife habitat on the Suffolk coast. This rewilding conservation project will improve the biodiversity of the area which is vital for restoring nature and helping fight climate change.
It has been designed to compensate for some limited future land-take from the adjacent Sizewell Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest during the development of the Sizewell C nuclear power station.
Find out more
Discover How a Power Station Works
The EDF Energy Sizewell B Visitor Centre shares an interactive exhibition and the science around the UK’s only Pressurised Water Reactor, the most modern nuclear power plant in the UK, located on the Suffolk coast, it is at the heart of the green revolution towards Net Zero. For a real insight, why not pre-book a power station tour too?
Sizewell B Visitors CentreVisit the David Silver Honda Motorbike Collection
Interested in classic motorbikes or just fascinated by simply great engineering? Had a Honda in a previous life and fancy a trip down memory lane? Including classic Honda bikes from every era, David Silver’s unique collection of 150 motorbikes on display is an absolute eye-opener and a Suffolk treat for any motorbike enthusiast.
find out more
Relax, Walk, Picnic or Play…
Enjoy Leiston’s great green spaces.
At the heritage heart of the town, Victory Road Park combines pleasant paths and grassy open space with some real family-friendly facilities including play equipment for the under 6s and for older children, a skate park, outdoor gym equipment and a boules pitch.
King George’s Avenue Recreation Ground on the way to Sizewell Beach also has play equipment, plus a BMX track and Community Orchard that’s ideal for sports.
Fish around for beautiful quiet spot…
For a quiet waterside spot for a picnic, Haylings Pond has to be a hidden Leiston gem – and it’s great for anglers (permit required) too!
Just like Leiston’s other green spaces, facilities are managed by Leiston Town Council.
For full details and latest information about the facilities – including Leiston Skate Park – go to the Leiston Town Council website, by clicking on the ‘open spaces’ button below.
Fishing Open Spaces
Or Scoot off to the Skate Park
Love getting up to tricks and flicks on a skateboard or scooter? The unique new Leiston Skate Park in Victory Road Park is the place to be and is fast-becoming one of go-to concrete skateparks near the Suffolk coast.
Glide down the snake run which flows in and out of the open bowl to the plaza where you can really cut some shapes and show off your skating or scooting skills.
Will you rise to the challenge of the stair set? Do something fancy on the flat bar rail? Ramp up the vibe or be an absolute ledge-nd?
Gym, swim or sports more your thing?
Leiston Leisure Centre has indoor swimming pools, fitness studio, gym and relaxing health suite with sauna and steam room, soft play for little ones and a full programme of regular classes for all ages and children’s holiday activities.
Leiston and its villages also have wide range of adult and youth sports clubs, covering everything from football and karate to bowls and croquet.
Sports & Leisure Swim & Gym
Remember…
Trace the wartime history of Leiston-cum-Sizewell and its villages. Discover poignant town and country war memorials; the concrete reminders of Leiston Airfield, Station F373 or the Suffolk’s Coast’s wartime defences. Learn the tales of munition factories and battalion HQs, of folk who flocked from miles around to the crash site of a WWI Zeppelin airship and of loved ones lost, but never forgotten.
There are so many reasons why Leiston is a real place to remember.
Memorials & MoreEnjoy Leiston Events & Family Fun
Leiston’s many venues – its parks, library, community hubs and halls, Film Theatre and Long Shop Museum – play host to indoor and outdoor events and activities throughout the year.
Look out for brass band concerts, football fixtures, the latest box-office films, hands-on history activity days, dog shows and Suffolk Day celebrations, Christmas street fairs and family fun events. From the 2023 national cycling event, Tour of Britain, to the latest jolly yarn-bombing ‘event’ brightening up the town, there’s always something new on the Leiston horizon!
Things to do near me in Leiston near Thorpeness and Aldeburgh
Sizewell Beach, Leiston Skate Park, Leiston Leisure Centre (swimming pools, health suite, gym and fitness), Leiston Cinema, Leiston Long Shop Museum for steam engine events and Leiston parks, green spaces and nature reserves are located only 3 miles from Thorpeness and 4 miles from Aldeburgh Suffolk.
