Suffolk’s untouched coastline, Covehithe.
Suffolk’s untouched coastline Covehithe. Many of my pictures on Instagram are taken at this spot so I thought I’d introduce you to the area.
I spend a lot of time here, I was training for the Fjallraven Classic along this route from Kessingland to Dunwich.
The area is called Covehithe which is located between Kessingland and Southwold.
I have always had a fascination with this part of the Suffolk coastline it’s the ruggedness and wild wind swept cliffs that I find appealing. It’s also down to the fact that this area of the UK is so full of candy floss and static caravans that when you find an area that is completely wild it sticks out.
I spent a lot of my childhood exploring and fishing on this beach and can remember the road to the cliff being much longer. Coastal erosion is a massive issue here where up to 4.5m of cliff is lost to the sea every year.
So saying that since I’ve been visiting around 130 metres have gone into the sea.
In the Doomsday survey the hamlet was known as Nordhalla and was recorded with 13 settlers. It takes its modern name from the de Cove family who held land there during the Middle Ages and hithe from old English meaning quay for loading small vessels. Like it’s nearby neighbour Dunwich it had fallen to the wrath of the North Sea and started to be devoured by coastal erosion and the town declined.
The Church of St Andrew
The church of St Andrew fell into ruin and locals where using its walls as building materials.
Currently a small Church is within the Church ruins.
What I love about this coastline is it is always changing unveiling things hidden from time for a few years or for along time.
Regularly wrecks are uncovered for a while and then covered back up, foundations from houses appear out of the cliff then end up on the beach to be covered up later on. It’s a wild coastline we don’t have that much wild coast so this is a haven.
Speaking to someone from natural England earlier today as they where clearing trees on the headland the plan is to develop a path way from Benacre to extend the Suffolk coastal path to Southwold as at present it meanders around Covehithe to Southwold.