Cedar Lodge 86

15/02/2024

New opening times for the restaurant.

13/12/2023

10/12/2023

If you’re in need of a little peace and quiet away from the hectic-ness of Christmas, why not come for a winter wander at Dunwich Heath? The pink and orange routes on site will take you away from the well-trodden paths, giving you space to relax…
📷 Melissa Phillips

30/11/2023

Look who’s back for a bit of time off before Christmas… Our famous reindeer trail will be running at weekends throughout December (excluding the 24th/25th), and the whole of the week 26th – 31st. Pick up a trail at Visitor Welcome and see how many of Santa’s reindeer you can spot…

26/11/2023

POTTON HALL
Just a quick visit to Potton Hall, definitely a place to return to in the summer!
Potton Hall Spa
Photos from the Art Walk:

08/11/2023

YOXFORD
The giant ‘Bronze Man’ just as you turn right off A12 to Dunwich! 🎄

A bronze sculpture next to the A12 in Suffolk gains planning approval to be illuminated.

20/10/2023

Always amazing sunsets from the deck - and tonight there’s a rainbow!

05/10/2023

Dunwich Heath and Beach has inspired many people over the years, including the poet Edward Thomas. For , we thought we'd share a little more about him and his connection to the area.

Edward Thomas was born in 1878 and was a poet, critic and essayist best known for his depictions of rural England. In 1908, he was writing a biography of the nature writer Richard Jefferies and came to stay at Coastguard Cottages in Dunwich in the hope that it would cure his writer's block.

While there, he wrote a letter to his friend, George Bottomley, in which he described the area. "Oh Dunwich is beautiful," he wrote. "I am on a heaving moor of heather and close gorse, up and down, and ending in a sandy cliff about 80 feet perpendicular and the black-peat strewn fine sand below."

He later went on to describe his observations of the ruined church, woodland and "huge curve of foamy coast" leading up to Southwold, plus the various items - including sailor's hats, beer bottles and lost cargo - he picked up on the beach.

A few years later, Thomas met and became close friends with the American poet Robert Frost, who encouraged him to pursue a career in poetry. He went on to pen a number of verses under the pseudonym Edward Eastaway.

Sadly, however, he never saw his poetry in print in his own name. He enlisted in 1915 and was killed at the Battle of Arras on Easter Monday in 1917.

Since then, his reputation as a poet has increased greatly, and he's even said to have inspired future generations of writers including WH Auden and Philip Larkin. 📝

Have you ever been inspired to write, draw, paint or create on a trip to Dunwich? We'd love to see!

📸: Edward Thomas Estate

30/09/2023

There are some amazing walks all around the lodge - try this one with a cream tea at the end!! 🥾 🍰 🫖

Looking for something to do this weekend? The pink trail is one of our favourites! It's around two miles long and offers some of the best views of the heath. Plan your visit here 👉 https://bit.ly/3XZGO81 📸: National Trust Images

03/09/2023

23/08/2023

The Telegraph recently named the circular walk between Dunwich Heath and Westleton Heath one of the best pub walks in Britain! 🥾🥾

19/08/2023

18/08/2023

There’s still two weeks of the Summer of Play to go, and we’ve got a whole host of activities to get involved with in that time. From den building to crafts, and tracker packs to trails, there’s so much to do! For more info on what you can get up to, head here 👉 https://bit.ly/3XBmkSX 📷 Trevor Ray Hart

23/07/2023

We’ve got some colour! 💜 The bell-heather has started to flower on the heath and we’re so happy to see it. It might not look as bright or as bold as other years, but it’s great to see some of it back after such a difficult drought. Learn more about how we manage this very special habitat here 👉 https://bit.ly/43DeI3D 📸: Becky MacNaughton

23/05/2023

Gluten free option! 😋

20/05/2023

😳

The heath isn’t just a haven for rare birds, it’s also a fantastic habitat for some scarcer beetles… The minotaur beetle, for example, is a large dung beetle that lives on heathland and drags dung, such as rabbit droppings, back to the nest for its young to feed on
📷 Matthew Oates

19/05/2023

Tearooms - New Bed & Breakfast rooms Suffolk📍Dunwich comfort,convenience & coastal tranquility 🌿

11/04/2023

Great idea! So don’t forget to take your own cup when visiting the Coastguard’s Cottages ☕️

Do you know, if you bring in your own reusable cup, we will deduct 25p off your hot drink? Saving the pennies and the environment!
Perfect swan or heart artwork only available when Nathan’s on drinks, at least until the rest of us work out how to do them too 😂

18/03/2023

It’s our penultimate Turbulence to Tranquillity talk next Saturday, so if you’ve ever wandered the heath and thought what history there is on this now quiet stretch of coast, you’re in luck! More information is here 👉 https://bit.ly/3Ywi0Du

06/03/2023

New 2023 season at Flora’s! 🐟🙂⛱

02/05/2022

THE EEL’S FOOT INN
For a warm welcome at a traditional inn with delicious food and drink take a short trip to The Eel’s Foot Inn at Eastbridge. They do not take bookings but they promise that no one will ever leave hungry!

The history and name of The Eel's Foot Inn dates back as far as 1533 as recorded in the parish records.
The current Eel’s Foot Inn building dates back to 1642, when it was originally two cottages. The third cottage was added on in approximately 1725 and as far as records show the middle cottage became the village pub in the late 17th century. This was formally the cobbler’s cottage.

No one is sure how the pub got its name. It may have come from Heel's Foot, a cobblers implement, or more likely named after the Eel's Boot, a type of woven reed basket used in Eel Fishing.

The Eel’s Foot, because of its close proximity to the sea was a favourite stop off point for travellers, drovers and smugglers. In the 18th century the pub played host to parties of Dragoons in need of rest and refreshment. It was also a favourite resting place for smugglers. In 1747 the two sides surprised one another at the Eels Foot and shots were fired. Two of the Smugglers were captured and sent to the Old Bailey for trial and sentenced to death.

16/04/2022

FLORA’ TEA ROOMS
Not always the usual Fish n Chips at Flora’s - they offer daily specials on the board - worth checking these out 😋

09/04/2022

GOLDEN GORSE on DUNWICH HEATH.
There is an old saying “when the gorse is in blossom kissing’s in season” as it seems the plant is always in bloom!

Gorse is one of the most common sights in and around Dunwich as these shrubs form the hedgerows around the fields and country roads and particularly from February to May, when the golden yellow flowers are their most abundant, they are a spectacular sight.

Gorse is a sensory plant – the flowers smell of creamy coconut and the seed pods’ pop and crackle in hot sunshine, but it’s so well protected by those potent spines it’s best admired from a respectful distance!

04/10/2021

DUNWICH HEATH & COASTGUARD COTTAGES
Take a walk through the heathland to the National Trust coastguard cottages. There’s purple heather in summer, wild honeysuckle, butterflies, martins and swallows to see on the way and of course lots of fresh air! Plus a welcoming cappuccino or cream tea when you arrive!

More info and opening times:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dunwich-heath-and-beach

18/08/2021

THORPENESS.
For a great day out and just 10 miles from the lodge is this former fishing hamlet. The village was dreamed up by wealthy barrister Stuart Ogilvie and his friend J.M Barrie (creator of Peter Pan) who in 1910 created his perfect ‘holiday village’ including the Peter Pan themed boating lake ‘The Meare’

The picturesque ‘meare’ or artificial lake is vast - covering over 60,000 acres (and all dug out by hand!) with its various islands and inlets - is open for row boat hire throughout the summer.

Here is also one of the county’s most famous follies: ‘The House in the Clouds’

25/07/2021

GREYFRIARS at Dunwich.
Just a short walk through the forest towards Dunwich you’ll pass the ruins of Greyfriars one of the most important ancient monuments in Suffolk. There’s a brilliant display of wild flowers in the springtime, take a picnic or continue your walk along the cliff and have tea at Flora’s beach cafe.

20/07/2021

Who doesn’t love an ‘afternoon tea’ ?
Plenty of space for entertaining on the wrap-around deck area, our outdoor table extends to sit 8-10 people!

19/07/2021

Welcome to Cedar Lodge 86!