Coastwalk

Dunwich → Southwold

Distance: 6.7 miles
Ascent: unknown
Duration: unknown

« Dunwich Heath | Lowestoft »

The best moment in this walk isn't while you're walking. The best moment is the ferry across The Blythe. Grab a seat in the small rowing boat in Walberswick, pay your twenty pence and sit back as your captain takes up the oars and takes you upstream before using the current to glide the boat across and back downstream to the landing point on the other Southwold shore.

The first bridge across the river is only ten minutes or so upstream, but the ferry's by far the more enjoyable option.

The ferry's not the only alternative on this walk. From Dunwich village, the Suffolk Coast and Heaths path heads inland to cross Dingle Marsh. It's a much more pleasant walk than religiously sticking to the coast, but if walking on shingle's your thing (or maybe your navigation isn't so strong), then tramping along the shoreline is an acceptable alternative.

After walking the inland coast path, I took the beach route back to the car in Dunwich. Turning this short segment in a circular walk is a beautiful day out. (If you stop for lunch in Southwold, don't forget to try the local brew.)