Dunwich Heath is an area of coastal lowland heath just south of the village of Dunwich, in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths

AONB An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of thei ...

, England. It is adjacent to the

RSPB The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...

reserve at

Minsmere Minsmere is a place in the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast around north of Leiston and south-east of Westleton within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB. It is the site of the Minsmere RSPB reserve and the origina ...

. It lies within the area of the Minsmere-Walberswick Heaths and Marshes

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

, Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area. It has been owned by the National Trust since 1968, when it was bought with the help of a donation from the Heinz company as part of

Enterprise Neptune Project Neptune, also known as Enterprise Neptune, is a long-term project of the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust to acquire or put under covenant a substantial part of the Wales, Welsh, England, Eng ...

. Dunwich Heath is a rare survival of coastal lowland heath; the Suffolk Sandlings used to form a lot of the Suffolk coast, but have mostly been developed for agriculture or built upon. The heath is mostly covered with heather, both Common Heather and Bell Heather, and European and Western Gorse but there is also some woodland and grassland included in the reserve. The heather and gorse flower from June until September; the heather is purple and pink while the gorse is yellow. A variety of birds, animals and reptiles live on the heath; red deer, muntjacs, Dartford warblers, European stonechats, and European nightjars, as well as adders, slowworms, grass snakes and common lizards. It supports many unusual invertebrates as well, such as ant lions, digger wasps, mining bees, as well as the

true lover's knot The term true lover's knot, also called true love knot, is used for many distinct knots. The association of knots with the symbolism of love, friendship and affection dates back to antiquity. Because of this, no single knot can be labeled the ...

moth, and the emperor moth.

Dunwich Heath Cliff

Dunwich Heath Cliff is designated a regionally important geological site. The cliffs are formed of Norwich Crag Formation. The layers of large flint cobbles are known locally as the "Westleton Beds".

References

External links

Dunwich Heath information on the National Trust website

Article by the then Warden of the Heath

{{coord, 52.257, 1.621, dim:2000_region:GB, display=title Geography of Suffolk National Trust properties in Suffolk Nature Conservation Review sites Tourist attractions in Suffolk Heaths of the United Kingdom Dunwich