Thank you for visiting our #Walberswick post, please:
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This post is situated in a Marram grass regeneration area owned by the Walberswick Commons Land Charity. We hope that over the next 5 years your photos will help us monitor the success of this regeneration area and changing shape of the sand dunes over time.
What am I looking at?
Although this landscape may look static now, it is constantly moving and evolving.
Sand dunes are created when wind deposits sand out of reach of the tide to create mounts. Pioneer plants like marram grass, sand couch and lyme grass colonise these mounds, which either continue to grow or collapse over decades.
The shingle beach also changes with time as tides and storms redistribute rocks along the shore.
Sand dunes provide natural coastal protection against storm surge and high waves, preventing or reducing coastal flooding and structural damage, as well as providing important ecological habitat for butterflies, grasshoppers and lizards hunting for insects.
Stonechats, woodlarks and Dartford warblers like to search for insects by perching on the highest bushes before darting down to make a catch.
Please treat the dunes with respect – recreational pressure can be an issue as they are particularly vulnerable to trampling, and damage which can affect the stability the dune system.
Looking back….
- The name Walberswick is believed to derive from the Saxon Waldbert or Walhbert – probably a landowner and “wyc”, meaning shelter or harbour.
- From medieval times through to the Twentieth Century the village was a thriving port trading in cheese, bacon, corn, timber and, of course, fish.
- In the 1890s and 1900s it became associated with Philip Wilson Steer and his circle of English Impressionists, and it was home to the noted Scottish artist and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh from 1914.
- The Walberswick Common Lands Charity is an independent body with its origins dating back to the 1800’s. It has been a registered charity since 1901. It is the largest landowner in the Village, responsible for custody of over 162 acres (65 hectares) of land in and around Walberswick.
Walks and more
The ‘Marshes, Coast and Forest’ route is an 11km circular walk starting and ending on Walberswick village green. This route takes in all the unique habitats in the area, but note – at high tide the coastal section may be impassable.
A shorter option is the ‘Walberswick Wander’: a 5km route that includes a short ferry crossing.
Both routes can be found via our website.