The Meare Shop & Tearoom is a cafe, ice cream parlour & small gift shop right next to Thorpeness Meare.
We serve Yorkshire tea, coffee, hot chocolate, cakes, toasties, bacon baps, chips, cheesy chips, Phat award winning pasties (baked on the premises), sausages rolls and our homemade quiches. Including a good selection of gluten free, dairy free and vegan items.
We also have Mr Whippy, Bennet’s dairy ice cream & Walls ice cream. Plus, postcards, gifts and beach items available too.
We have plenty of outside tables right by the Meare’s edge and also on the grass at the front of the building, as well as 8 tables inside.
Hope to see you soon. 🍦🦆🚣🏽♀️☕️🍰🌞
EARLY SPRING SEASON OPENING:
Open every day from 10.30am - 3.30pm. Open until 4pm weekends.
A NOTE ON BOAT HIRE - THE BOATS ARE AVAILABLE FROM SAT 23rd MARCH - END OF OCTOBER HALF TERM.
Thorpeness Meare boat hire is a separate business to ours. Please find their website link in the ‘links’ section at the bottom of our website for details.
A bit about Thorpeness...
Thorpeness is a unique village on the beautiful Suffolk Coast.
Originally a small fishing hamlet, it was developed into a holiday destination over 100yrs ago.
One of the main attractions of Thorpeness is the beautiful Meare - hand dug and opened in 1913 - it covers some 60 acres of land, over 40 acres of water, and is no more than 3 feet deep in any spot - perfect for boating adventures. The Meare still has many of its original rowing boats - you can rent them along with canoes, kayaks, punts & sailing boats to explore the channels & islands - all named by J M Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan.
The Meare is also home to a huge variety of wildlife - ducks, swans, herons, grebes, geese, coots, moore hens, kingfishers (rare, but seen), frogs, all manner of pond dipping favourites, as well as fresh water tench, rudd, roach & carp... to name but a few.
If you are lucky, in the early morning or late evening, you can hear a Bittern boom.
Thorpeness is full of follies and unusual architecture - including the 'House in the Clouds' - a converted water tower (available to rent), the windmill, the arms houses and other beautiful arts & crafts period properties. It really is a one off.
And, then there's the beach. Mainly shingle, sometimes with a lovely stretch of sand. A place to look for amber or a stone with a hole. Never too crowded. Beautiful in all seasons.
There are many footpaths & walks in the area - including just along the beach to Aldeburgh (for fish & chips), or, over the headlands towards Sizewel, Minsmere, Dunwich and beyond.
Thorpeness also has an 18 hole golf course, a country club, an antiques emporium, decent pub (The Dolphin) and a great village shop.
Our gallery above gives you a flavour of the village.
Links to the boats and other places of interest can be found at the bottom of the page.
How to find us...
You'll find us right next to Thorpeness Meare, by the Boat House & clock tower.
Our patio overlooks the boats & wildlife. (The pic on our home page was taken from our patio)
Hours
Winter Season (Nov / Dec / Jan / Feb / Early March). Weekends Only. 10.30am - 3.30pm. Open Feb half term.
Christmas Holidays: Open every day from Boxing Day until Jan 4th 2025.
Spring / Summer Season: Open daily from 10am until 4pm. We open earlier / close later on busy days and as the summer season progresses. Please call 01728 452156 to check on the day if coming to visit us especially.
PARKING
There is free parking on the road around the Meare. Plus, Thorpeness Beach Pay & Display carpark is just a few metres away.
BUSES
There is a bus stop opposite the tearoom / Meare. For bus times please visit: bustimes.org
CYCLES:
Yes please. We're a popular cycling stop-off. It's a straight, flat road to Aldeburgh.
Phone - 01728 452156
EMAIL - Meareshop@hotmail.co.uk
Useful Links:
Thorpeness Meare: For information about hiring boats visit :
Call:07730355548
The Dolphin (Pub / B&B):
THORPENESS COUNTRY CLUB
Thorpeness Golf Club
THORPENESS EMPORIUM
THE KITCHEN @ THORPENESS
Aldeburgh Fish & Chips
LEISTON FISH & CHIPS
MINSMERE RSPB
SNAPE MALTINGS
(music, arts, crafts - The Aldeburgh Festival / Proms)
HOLIDAY LETS / RENTALS: