Accessibility at Dunwich Heath

Top five tips for enjoying your day

1. We’re here to help. You can speak to any of the team on your visit, or if you’d like to chat before your visit or hire equipment, such as a powered mobility vehicle, please do reach out to us if you would find it helpful. You can call us on 01728 648501 or email us at dunwichheath@nationaltrust.org.uk.

2. You can download our visitor map to plan your route(s) and see where facilities are located here.

3. Check our opening times as they vary across the year– we are usually busiest between 11am–1pm. If you would like a quieter visit, we recommend early morning and late afternoons, as well as weekday visiting. 

4. We have a number of spots to take in the views of the coast and heath that are step-free. The café is also located a short distance from the car park and provides plenty of seating to sit and enjoy the views.

5. We have toilet facilities available beside Heath Barn and an accessible toilet beside the café, which is located near to the car park.

Our access statement
We are committed to making Dunwich Heath as accessible as possible for all our visitors. While the landscape can present some challenges, we are taking steps to make sure that as many visitors as possible can enjoy it. You can find a detailed access guide here.

We are constantly making improvements and will keep this information updated. We’d also love to hear from you with any suggestions for things that would make your visit easier.

Parking at Dunwich Heath

Designated accessible parking is available in the main car park at Dunwich, close to the café and Visitor Welcome (less than 5 minutes) on hard standing.

We operate a car park ticketing system, with free car parking for Blue Badge holders and National Trust members.

The main car park is located next to toilet facilities, including an accessible toilet available via Radar key (one is held at the café), as well as men’s and women’s toilets and a baby change. There are concrete paths to access these facilities and plenty of seating is available.

Equipment and facilities

Trampers
We have three Trampers (all-terrain powered mobility vehicles) available to borrow, which you can book in advance.

Trampers are electric, self-driven, all-terrain mobility vehicles which are designed to cover rough ground safely. They travel at a walking speed so the whole party can explore the site together and there is a designated route to follow. We recommend new visitors to Dunwich start on the beginner route and all users are provided with instructions, a test drive, and a route map. Areas that are not suitable for mobility vehicles are clearly sign-posted.

Trampers are available when the Visitor Welcome hut is open and are pre-bookable between 10.30am and 3pm in line with seasonal opening – please check the opening times on our website for more details. To guarantee access to a Tramper, we recommend calling 01728 648501 or sending an email to dunwich@nationaltrust.org.uk. Please let us know your name, contact number, arrival date and time and whether you have used a Tramper at Dunwich Heath before.

Equipment and services

• Induction loops are available at the till points in the tea-room, kiosk and in the Visitor Welcome hut. We also have a Portable Induction Loop at Visitor Welcome that can be borrowed for your visit.

• Braille maps showing the various features of Dunwich Heath, as well as its paths and trails, are available from Visitor Welcome. We also have a large print guide available.

Tea-room

The tea-room offers a wide seasonal menu and is located a short distance from the car park, with the outdoor area overlooking the sea. It is a converted Victorian cottage and is a ‘cosy’ space, with some tight spaces to navigate inside. A priority table is located near the entrance and till point, with different seating areas inside offering a mix of tables and chairs, as well as ample seating and accessible benches outside.

The space can get loud when busy, although there are acoustic baffling products in place to improve sound. There is a 2cm threshold to the ground floor, and some seating upstairs in the lookout.

Staff can provide assistance as needed, offering service to tables. There are straws, easy grip mugs and large handled cutlery available from the counter – please ask if these are not readily available.

Play area

A children’s play area is located next to the picnic benches. It comprises timber-framed play equipment on sand and grass.

Paths and trails

There are four waymarked paths around the site, which vary from 1 mile to 3 miles in distance and some of which include slopes, steps and uneven terrain across sand, gravel and mud. A detailed map showing the terrain is available to download here or collect from Visitor Welcome during your visit.

Benches are located every 100 to 200 metres and are shown on maps. The seat height of each bench is between 40 and 50cm.

Dogs at Dunwich Heath

We welcome dogs everywhere on site and ask dog owners to be mindful of visitors who may be less familiar or comfortable around dogs. Having your dog on a short lead as other visitors approach, especially when the site is busy or in indoor spaces such as the tea-room, can support different needs.

There is a dog friendly seating area in the tea-room for visitors and their dogs to use.

Between 1 March and 31 August, we ask that dogs are kept on a lead and that visitors stay on the footpaths to protect rare ground-nesting birds.

Dogs can go off-lead on our dedicated Woof Walk, which is two miles long and clearly sign-posted. Drinking water and bowls for dogs can be found at many locations around the site including outside the tea-room, throughout the outdoor seating area, near the visitor welcome hut and near the toilets.

Assistance dogs are welcome across the site, including in all the buildings.