Westleton guide

A quintessential village in the Suffolk countryside

Set within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the village of Westleton is home to Westleton Heath Nature Reserve and one of the RSPB's flagship reserves, Minsmere. The village is a short drive from the beaches at Dunwich, Southwold and Aldeburgh.

Did you know?

Westleton's 14th century church, St Peter, was built by monks from Sibton Abbey near Saxmundham. The church's tower has been toppled twice, firstly in in 1776 under the strain of hurricane winds and again during World War II when it was destroyed by a bomb.

The village is home to two pubs, the White Horse and The Westleton Crown; a historic coaching inn which dates back to the 12th century. Today it's a stylish hotel and eaterie; the perfect place to rest your head and tuck into dishes made from fresh, local produce.

things to do in westleton where to stay in westleton where to eat in westleton

Location

Westleton Hightlights

1. Walk the Inn 2 Inn walk from The Westleton Crown to The Ship at Dunwich

Towns & Villages - Westleton - Exterior

Start at Westleton's famous pub The Westleton Crown; which not only serves great pub grub, but is also a cosy place to stay. The route takes you across Westleton Common and past RSPB Minsmere. Finishing in the historic coastal village of Dunwich, where you can refuel with a pint and lunch at The Ship, before making your way back through Westleton Heath.

Download the route at https://www.thesuffolkcoast.co.uk/shares/Inn2Inn-Map-2016.pdf

2. Visit the home of BBC Springwatch

Towns & Villages - Westleton - Red deer

Home to BBC Springwatch in 2016, RSPB Minsmere Nature Reserve is a must-visit at any time of the year. Enjoy a walk through beautiful woodland, wetland and coastal scenery and discover the ever changing wildlife which includes an amazing variety of birds, insects and flowers, keeping an eye out for bittern, otter, avocet and red deer.

3. Go Birdwatching on the Heath

Towns & Villages - Westleton - Avocet

Pack your flask and binoculars and enjoy an hour or two of birdwatching on Westleton Heath. Birds of open heath and light scrub are well represented here and include tree pipit, dartford warbler, stonechat and nightjar. The woodlands support nightingale and woodcock. In summer, walk amongst the dazzling deep purple bell heather, which is home to a variety of butterfly too.

Accessibility

Check out AccessAble's detailed access guides to Suffolk and work out if a place is going to be accessible to you.

The access guides cover multiple locations and venues across Suffolk, including places to stay, attractions, places to eat, stations, shops, trails and more.

The access guides are 100% facts, figures and photographs, checked by AccessAble's trained surveyors in person, people who know everyone's accessibility needs are different and understand how important it is for information to be detailed and accurate.

How to get to Westleton - Public Transport

With Suffolk on Board you can plan journeys using public transport from and to a town or village, named station or stop, or point of interest.

As many destinations along the Suffolk coast are rural there can be limited public transport services on many routes, but there are journey solutions through various local community transport services that will get you to where you want to go/your final destination. These tend to need to be booked in advance but you can find out more and plan your journey at Suffolk on Board.

By Train:

Darsham is approximately two miles away with train services by Great Anglia running to Lowestoft and Ipswich and on-going connections to London Liverpool Street and Cambridge.

All train tickets can be purchased via the Greater Anglia Website or the app.

Car Parks in Westleton

Westleton Heath Nature Reserve, Dunwich Road, Westleton IP17 3DB

Walking in Westleton

Walking in East Suffolk has just become easier. In partnership with East Suffolk Council, walking app Go Jauntly has launched a collection of East Suffolk walks.

Go Jauntly is a free community-based app to promote walking, wayfinding and nature connection. You can find local walks created by people who know and love them, discover the greenest walking routes from A to B, create your own jaunts and enjoy outdoor adventures with friends and family.

Go Jauntly is available to download, for free, on the App Store and the Play Store.