Suffolk Coast and Heaths
A brief introduction to the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB
The Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is one of 47 AONBs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – all chosen for the distinctiveness and the quality of their natural landscape. Together with our Heritage Coasts and National Parks they make up some of the finest countryside in Britain.
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The Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB extends from the northern side of the Stour estuary to the eastern fringe of Ipswich and as far north as Kessingland. It covers approximately 403 square kilometres, most of which is between the A12 trunk road and the sea. It was confirmed as an AONB in March 1970, a designation which gives it special protection and recognises its value as a landscape of outstanding quality. The AONB consists of a mosaic of different habitats: farmland; heathland; ancient woodland; commercial forestry; reed beds; estuaries; grazing marsh; small towns and villages; low, crumbling cliffs and shingle beaches - a rich mixture of unique and vulnerable lowland landscapes, many of which are under pressure of change.
View a map of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB
The AONB includes the Suffolk Heritage Coast, the nearest coast to London to have remained largely undeveloped. This eastern boundary with the North Sea is deeply indented by five estuaries - the Blyth, Alde, Deben, Orwell and Stour - and consists of crumbling cliffs, shingle beaches and coastal lagoons stretching along 60 miles of low-lying coast. This is one of the most important wildlife areas in Britain and includes three National Nature Reserves, many Sites of Special Scientific Interest and the RSPB’s famous Minsmere reserve. The mud-flats and creeks of the AONB's salt marsh-fringed estuaries contain wildlife wetland sites of national and international importance, many of which are Ramsar sites and proposed Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas.
The low-lying coastal hinterland contains some of England's few remaining areas of ancient open heathland, known locally as the Sandlings, whose wild sandy stretches are a vanishing refuge of the nightjar, woodlark, and rare butterflies such as the silver-studded blue. There are also small patches of ancient woodlands, three large commercial forests – now important for recreation – and areas of open, arable farmland, the largest land-type in the AONB.
Characterised by its flowering lanes and colour-washed Suffolk pink cottages, the Suffolk Coast and Heaths has retained much of its unchanged character. It has a population of approximately 23,500, and has no large towns but includes medieval market towns such as Aldeburgh. There are increasing numbers of resident commuters working in Ipswich, Felixstowe and Lowestoft. The rural economy is based on agriculture and tourism.
Visitor activity is centred around Aldeburgh and Southwold, towns that offer a traditional seaside experience, and in smaller towns and coastal hamlets such as Orford, Dunwich, Bawdsey and Walberswick. The booming popularity of watersports has brought considerable leisure usage to the Stour, Deben, Blyth, Ore and Alde estuaries. The area has three long distance footpaths: the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Path, the Stour and Orwell Walk and the Sandlings Walk, which opened in 2002.
 Protected Landscapes in England and Wales | .gif) Map of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB |