Route: Dunwich Heath
Area: Suffolk
Date of walk: 17th August 2014
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly, with James and Nicola along Dunwich Heath
Distance: 6.9 miles
Weather: Overcast and windy, brightened up at the end
Today was the last day of our visit to Suffolk and we decided to take the opportunity to explore the area a little more before heading back home. We parked in the National Trust car park at Dunwich Heath and walked along a path through the heather, which was looking spectacular, even though the skies were rather dull and overcast at the time
After walking round the heath, James and Nicola had to set off back home but Gilly and I still had time to visit the adjacent Minsmere. Perhaps we’d see the rare Dartford Warbler, an otter, or a lesser spotted Chris Packham’
I’ve included the usual maps for this walk but both Dunwich Heath and Minsmere have lots of different trails and these are places to wander around as your fancy takes you, so don’t feel the need to follow my route which is simply a record of the walk we did
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
The next day we left our B&B at Buckland House (which we can highly recommend) and after another 5 star breakfast were raring to go for a walk
We made the short journey to Dunwich Heath, owned by the National Trust, and followed the Heather Trail away from the car park
The heather was in full bloom - a fantastic sight
There are around 40 pairs of breeding Dartford Warblers here and we hoped for a sighting but were out of luck
After a short but very enjoyable walk round the heath, we headed south along the beach
We entered Minsmere Nature Reserve and made our way to the visitor centre
A Muntjac Deer
The Island Mere Hide
A Cormorant seen from the hide
The Canopy Hide
View of the tree tops from the hide
Watching the sky
We didn’t have time to do justice to Minsmere and all too soon had to return along the beach back to the car
A last look at the heather on Dunwich Heath, looking even more spectacular now that the weather had improved
