Find out more about Dunwich Heath
Find out how to get to Dunwich Heath, where to park, things to see and do, and more.
Family activities at Dunwich Heath
Head outdoors for some family fun at Dunwich Heath. Here's what you could get up to on your visit...
Summer of Play
Enjoy a full day out immersed in nature! Explore the heath on one of our fun and interactive family trails or head to the beach for activities on the sand.
We've got plenty of picnic spots to enjoy and tasty treats in our tea-room, plus an outdoor play area and loads of activities to keep little explorers busy. Here's an idea of what you could get up to...
Explore with our tracker packs
10am - 3pm | Free
Collect a tracker pack from visitor welcome and see what wildlife you can discover. Packed full of spotter sheets, pots and magnifying glasses, the packs can help you study nature of all shapes and sizes as you explore the heath, woodland or beach. Just ask for one at visitor welcome when you arrive.
Search for a geo-cache
9am - 4pm | Free
How about a treasure hunt while you take in the beauty of the heath? Download the geo-caching app before you visit and then use it while you're here to find the 13 geo-caches hidden around the site.
Follow a trail
10am - 3pm | Free
Find out more about Dunwich Heath on one of our walking trails, from the role it played through two world wars to the types of trees that grow here. Once you've completed it, head back to the visitor welcome hut for your prize!
Build a den
9am - 4pm | Free
Are you a stick architect? Head to our den building area and gather your sticks then see what kind of den you can build. Will it be long and thin, short and wide, or a bit of both? The possibilities are endless...
Get creative
10am - 3pm | Free
From stick swords to natural mandalas and leaf crowns to Hapazome, let your creative side shine at the craft table in Heath Barn. Get inspired by the sights and sounds of the sea and land around you and see what you can create.
Planning your family visit
Here's some information to help make your family day out at Dunwich Heath and Beach as easy to enjoy as possible:
- The buggy-friendly accessible route takes in a good portion of the heath, just grab a map from visitor reception.
- Baby changing can be found in the toilets, adjacent to the car park.
- High chairs, cups and water jugs are available in the Tearoom.
- If you fancy a picnic, you'll find picnic benches all around the coastguard cottages. Or you're welcome to take a picnic blanket and find a spot on the grass or on the beach, but please put your litter in the bins provided by the cottages.
- The toilet block is adjacent to the car park, while there is an accessible toilet in the cottages.
- The beach is two minutes walk down the slope from the car park.
- The tearoom is situated in the coastguard cottages, just next to the car park. See our opening times for more details.
- Visitor welcome is at the edge of the car park. Please collect your parking tickets from here.
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Bringing your dog to Dunwich Heath
Dunwich Heath is a three pawprint rated place. The nature reserve is a wonderful place to explore with your dog. Here’s all you need to know about visiting with your four-legged friend.
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Things to see at Dunwich Heath
Discover the different areas to explore, and the variety of wildlife you can spot when you visit Dunwich Heath, with some rarer species highlighted...
Trail
Dunwich Heath wartime trail
A trail taking you on an in-depth dive into the wartime history of Dunwich Heath, stopping at locations around the site that still show evidence of the military activity.
Coastguard Cottages tea-room
The tea-room is open for hot and cold drinks, snacks and light meals. If you have an allergy and would like ingredient information, ask one of the staff, who’ll be happy to help.