Dunwich

I visited the coastal town of Dunwich today. I arrived at around twelve thirty, and despite the inclement weather, the car park and cafe were very busy.

I'd heard that the cafe served excellent fish and chips, so I thought I'd give it a try. I ordered a plate of haddock and chips, and sat outside to relax for a while. I expected a long wait, but I was pleasantly suprised when one of the friendly staff brought my order out within five minutes.

The haddock was absolutely delicious; about twelve inches long and with just the right amount of batter. It was accompanied by a fairly large portion of chips that were quite thick and not too crunchy, but at just over £7 it wasn't cheap.

Despite the cost, I'd still give it 10 out of 10, and I'll certainly be coming back again.

Before setting off this morning, I was in a dilemma over whether to bring the binoculars or the camera (it's difficult carrying them together). I wanted to take some photo's for this article, but after reading about a Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserve called Dingle Marshes I decided to take the binoculars instead.

I wasn't disappointed, as I got to see some amazing sights, but more on that later.

I decided to start the afternoon off by walking south along the beach towards the Sizewell nuclear power stations. I could see the Sizewell B reactor in the distance, but the imposing white dome of its pressurised water reactor looked a little out of place. Sizewell A, which was designed around the now obsolete Magnox reactor, is currently being decommissioned.

While walking along the shore (which is a mixture of shingle and sand), I immediately became aware of the devastating effects of erosion on the cliffs. As is often a familiar sight on East Anglian coastlines, large amounts of clay, soil, and rock, have been sheared away from the cliff face, exposing the Tertiary and Pleistocene clays that it's composed of.

As a result of this, large amounts of land and buildings, have been lost to the sea since the beginning of the 13th century. It's hard to believe, but the buildings that currently sit on these cliffs were once a mile inland!

The Sand martins that inhabit this stretch of cliff didn't seem to be deterred by the erosion. I managed to observe a few chicks peering out from within their nests.

After walking for about four miles, I decided to take a rest before turning back. I found a comfortable spot among the shingle and rested my weary feet. Looking out to sea, I spotted a large Cormorant in the distance. It flew low over the waves before landing clumsily in the water. I watched it for a few minutes and then it dived and I lost sight of it.

As I headed north up the beach, I spotted a pair of Common tern. They were flying headlong into the wind, which was so strong that it caused them to slow down almost to a stall. I watched as they struggled along, occasionally swooping to take some prey off the surface. They flew in this manner for a few hundred metres, before turning around and letting the wind blow them back again to their starting point.

By the time I'd reached the car park, I'd walked a total of 8 miles and I could certainly feel it. The shingle had taken its toll on my legs, which were beginning to ache, so I decided to ease off the pace a little.

I'd originally wanted to walk from Dunwich to Southwold, but that would have meant crossing the River Blyth. So instead, I settled on reaching the mouth of the estuary just beyond Walberswick (which is about 3 miles from the car park).

I took advantage of the retreating tide and walked upon the firm, wet sand, which was a real pleasure compared with the shingle.

I came across a large number of stranded jellyfish, the majority of which were Common jellyfish (Aurelia aurita). I also spotted a few Compass jellyfish (Chrysaora hysoscella).

As I approached the stretch of beach adjacent to Dingle Marshes I was surprised to see a Ringed plover less than 20 feet away! Hoping not to scare it, I carefully reached for my binoculars. Standing as still as possible, I focussed on the bird and was instantly taken aback by the clarity, and level of detail which I was seeing. I was fortunate to observe it for almost five minutes before it flew off.

I left the sandy shoreline and cautiously ascended the steep, shingle bank, leading up to Dingle Marshes. When I reached the top, I was pleased to see a wide variety of different species. I saw Little egret, Grey heron, Little tern, Herring gull, Black-headed gull, Ringed plover, Redshank, Cormorant, Shelduck, Greylag goose, and Mute swan. The reserve is also home to Bittern and Avocet, but I didn't see any on this visit.

After spending some time observing the wildlife, I resumed my walk to the mouth of the River Blyth.

This last stretch of beach appeared to be busier than the section near the car park. There were people walking dogs, couples walking hand in hand, families with children, and people flying power kites.

I quickly reached my goal, and took a well deserved rest on one of the concrete groynes at the rivers mouth. I spent the next 15 minutes relaxing and taking in the stunning scenery. The retreating tide had left some rock pools behind, so I had a quick look to see what I could find before setting off on the return journey.

It was after six o'clock when I finally arrived at the car park. I'd walked 16 miles in about five hours. I was hot, sweating, and I had a bright red face!

I thoroughly enjoyed myself though. I saw lots of interesting wildlife and the exercise will have done me good.

Whether you're a birder, a walker, into extreme sports, or just fancy a stroll by the sea, I'm sure Dunwich will have something to offer you.

Please visit the following links for further information:

A history of Dunwich
The Geology of Dunwich
Dunwich All Saints
Sizewell A RIP
Jellyfish Page
Dunwich - Google Maps