🚛Exploring Dunwich once again .
It's great having a safe place to stay on a family drive when we're back in the UK over summer, but we’re not used to staying put for too long. In between seeing family, we love getting back on the road

🌍The last few days we had the chance to return to Dunwich and catch up with friends. The beautiful natural beach and heathlands were perfect for walks. Thank you Damon and Debs for coming. Lovely to catch up again !

This time, we also visited the lovely little museum in Dunwich to learn about the history of the lost village. The staff were so friendly and knowledgeable, and the best part – it's doggy friendly!

🐾 Rolo met up with his friend Pink and loved running along the beach together. Unfortunately, we came across a dead seal washed up on the shore, but Rolo was good and left it alone. There have been a few found this month, which is sad to see. 😢

👍Big shoutout to the local village church for providing a field for motorhomes to park overnight for just £5! We had a fantastic BBQ outside and enjoyed the evening with friends, surrounded by nature. We spent the day at the beach car park and enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the local cafe bar. Now, we're back in the countryside to spend time with family again.

❓What has everyone else been up to? We hope you're all enjoying the beautiful weather!

Morning we came back to park at the beach for the day. Walks and swims were great. Historical Background Medieval Prosperity: During the 11th and 12th centuries, Dunwich was a bustling port with a population of around 3,000. It was a center of trade and commerce, with several churches, monasteries, and a significant fishing industry. Series of Storms: Starting in the 13th century, a series of catastrophic storms began to batter the coast. The most notable of these occurred in 1286, 1328, and 1347. These storms caused massive flooding and erosion, leading to large portions of the town being swallowed by the sea. Coastal Erosion: Over time, the relentless erosion continued to eat away at the land. By the 15th century, much of Dunwich had been lost. The process was exacerbated by the natural geomorphology of the region, with the soft cliffs and sandy soil being particularly susceptible to the forces of the sea. Modern Dunwich: Today, Dunwich is a small village with only a few hundred residents. Remnants of its former grandeur are still visible, including parts of the Greyfriars Monastery and St. James's Church. The majority of the medieval town now lies underwater, several meters offshore. Legends and Mysteries The dramatic history of Dunwich has given rise to various legends and stories. Some locals believe that the bells of the submerged churches can still be heard ringing underwater during storms. This has added a layer of myth and mystery to the already tragic history of the town. Archaeological Interest The site of the lost town has been of significant interest to archaeologists and historians. Efforts have been made to map and study the submerged ruins using modern techniques such as sonar and underwater archaeology. These studies have helped to piece together a picture of the town's layout and its eventual destruction. In summary, Dunwich serves as a poignant example of the power of nature and the vulnerability of human settlements to environmental changes. Its story is a blend of history, legend, and ongoing scientific investigation.

So lovely to have the back open amd views across the beautiful marsh land.

Rolos favourite place

Meet Pink. Rolo has found himself another girlfriend. 🐾🐾🐾🐾

Welcome to part of the best preserved area of heathland in Suffolk! A large area of heath known as the Sandlings (on account of its dry sandy soils) once stretched along the Suffolk coast. The open heath of the Sandlings has been much reduced in size since 1900, but here at Westleton Heath you can still explore the Sandlings landscape and find its special wildlife.

Lovely evening surrounded by nature and only £5 for the night. Thank you to the village hall for setting aside a place for motorhomes to come and visit your beautiful village. 🙏

Only 3 of us this time.

Taken from the Dunwich museum The story of the storm and Dunwich lost under the sea refers to the historical and dramatic decline of the town of Dunwich, located on the Suffolk coast of England. Once a thriving medieval port and one of the most important towns in England, Dunwich faced severe coastal erosion, largely due to a series of powerful storms and rising sea levels over the centuries.

Taken from Dunwich museum

One local pub

Lovely house

Very cute museum and doggy friendly

Back at the beach car park

Pink enjoying the beach

This lonely stretch of coastline with its many creeks favoured smugglers. The relationship of the smugglers with the local population was a combination of bribery and intimidation. By the 18th century smuggling was well-organised and carried on by gangs who were often armed and sometimes brutal. Two nearby landing places were Sizewell Gap to the south and Benacre to the north. Some cargoes were brought ashore at Dunwich itself: in October 1745 a cargo of tea was landed from a cutter and it took more than forty horses to move it on to Saxmundham. Officials known first as Riding Officers and then as Preventives, patrolled the coast in search of 'free traders'. There are stories of Preventives clashing with smugglers. One officer was captured hiding in a pigsty by a gang of smugglers; he was forced to say the Lord's Prayer backwards before being released.

After the Napoleonic Wars the coastguard service was improved, but some smuggling still went on. In 1834 Samuel Eling and James Sawyer appeared before Dunwich magistrates accused of smuggling 'at least 40 gallons of spirits' while pretending to be fishing. Elijah Larter Elijah Larter, described as a 'crafty old Dunwich bird' was one of several villagers involved in smuggling. However, the 1881 census described him as an agricultural labourer and his descendants say he was a lay preacher. Elijah's lamp is displayed here.

Early Medieval 8th-11th Centuries We know about Dunwich at this time from both documentary evidence such as the Domesday Survey of 1086 and evidence from archaeological research. Dunwich developed as a trading site with a protected harbour. During the 9th and 10th centuries, Dunwich, like the rest of the Eastern seaboard of England, was ravaged by Scandinavian raiders, and the bishopric moved inland to North Elmham. Dunwich, however, recovered from these upheavals and by the mid-10th century was an established and important settlement.

Archaeology has produced some limited pottery from the 11th century and also demonstrates that Dunwich was defended at this time. In addition, pollen from core sampling taken from just outside the town points to the presence of the growing of hemp on an industrial scale in Saxon and Medieval times. Retting pits were used for making rope from hemp so confirming the importance of marine activity. The subsequent growth of Dunwich as a successful port from the 11th to the 13th centuries was greatly helped by benign climate conditions, the absence of plagues, political stability and favourable economic conditions based on a buoyant agriculture. Dunwich was at its peak!

THE MEDIEVAL PORT wich was reputed to have the best harbour along the East Anglian coast and in 12th century probably had a pier on the north side with wharves on the south Shipbuilding Ships could now be brought alongside the wharves for loading and unloading which was easier than using the open beaches. At low water the flat-bottomed ships settled on an even keel on the seabed. In 1241 Dunwich was able to send 80 ships to the King's service - an indication of the size and power of the town. Shipbuilding became an important activity in the harbour, ten or more vessels might be under construction at the same time. The ships were of the hulk type - with curved stem posts or the cog type with straight stem posts. They were driven by sails and steered with an oar. Clinker-built boats used wedge- shaped planks which overlapped rlapped Oak trunks were split it in this way to form the strakes

Westleton Heath is in the care of conservation organisations including RSPB, National Trust, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Natural England, and Forestry Commission. Westleton Heath Precious heather The plants here are typical of acid soil. You may see harebell, tormentil, heath bedstraw and mossy stonecrop. There are large areas of common heather which, together with deep purple bell heather, provide an important nectar source for insects. Cross-leaved heath may also be found in the damper areas.

Our ancestors created the Sandlings. They may look 'natural' but originally the heaths were covered by trees. Because the sandy soils were valuable to early farmers, they were gradually cleared of trees and farmed. This changed the soil and when cultivation stopped the specilaised heathland plants and animals we see today gradually developed

Westleton Heath plays a key role in an exciting long-term 're-wilding' project at Dunwich Forest. The project will create a new and vibrant landscape managed for people and wildlife. Blocks of conifer plantation will be replaced with a patchwork of habitats. The lighter soils here in the south of the Forest will gradually return to heath as the conifers are harvested.

Dunwich Forest is managed by the Forestry Commission in partnership with the RSPB and Suffolk Wildlife Trust, The new landscape is designed to link Westleton lieath to the internationally important heaths and wetlands of the Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve to the north and to RSPB Minsmere and the National Trust's Dunwich Heath to the south.

DUNWICH LEGENDS Listen as you wander along the beach at dusk can you hear the bells of All Saints ringing under the sea? Are the gulls, wheeling and crying above, trying to tell you something? Perhaps they are, if the old Dunwich tale is true, that when fishermen die, they become sea gulls. Think of the line from J.W. Goslings poem:

"I am walking with ghosts on Dunwich shore"..... A sad story is told of one of the Barne family, a younger brother of the lord of the manor. He fell in love with one of the maids, but they were forbidden to meet. He died of a broken heart. His ghost is said to still wander along the paths that lead through the wood, looking for his lost love. Another ghost, a Victorian squire, is said to be seen at Grey Friars sitting on a fine Arab thoroughbred..... To the north of Dunwich is the territory of a black phantom hound. Some say that to see this hound means death. Others claim he will do no harm if treated with respect - and is even a guardian of the road, who will defend travellers if they are attacked....... Another odd tale is of the Battle of Dunwich. This incident took place in March 1803. At two in the morning villagers were woken by flashing lights ghts and the sound of gun fire. As Britain was at war with France at this time, people feared that the French were about to land. A cannon ball hit the Barnes's stable wall.... then suddenly firing ceased. A large vessel was seen sailing away, while a smaller one, like a fishing smack, crept close to the beach. The canon ball bore the mark of the naval broad arrow, but the admiralty denied involvement. Some villagers thought it might have something to do with smugglers, but it was felt that if a run had been planned someone in the village would have known. The incident remains a mystery to this day.....

🌍Dunwich is a small little village between Southwold and Aldeburgh. It's surrounded by nature reserves and a pebble beach and steeped in an eerie history of being Britain’s lost city as much of old Dunwich is under the sea.

It seems hard to believe, when faced with this quiet little coastal village of Dunwich that we see today, that Dunwich used to be a rival to London, and was the capital of East Anglia! A series of great storms and coastal erosion turned it into Britain’s lost city of Atlantis. The unforgiving sea has taken five houses, eight churches, and two hospitals and three chapels.

Thank you to the museum of Dunwich for the lovely history and talking to me about the history of the lovely Dunwich port..

Sadly died and washed up to shore.😭

Rolo just interested in playing and runnjng into the sea 🐾❣️

And a swim too made it a special few days.

Night nighty everyone and happy Wednesday 🙏👍❣️😘💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤