Читать книгу Suffolk Coast and Heath Walks. 3 long-distance routes in the AONB: the Suffolk Coast Path, the Stour and Orwell Walk and the Sandlings Walk онлайн

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Although this coastal landscape is low-lying, it lacks nothing in drama. Its spectacular views and big skies have built the area’s reputation as one of the country’s finest lowland walking areas. Much of the drama is down to coastal changes – floods in December 2013 will remain long in the memory – and it was coastal changes that led to the loss of medieval Dunwich, once the most important port in eastern England, which gradually silted up as the sea eroded the coastline. Dramatic changes such as these, and the impact of defences against possible invaders over many years, simply add to the area’s mystique.

But change is usually a story that plays out slowly here, and is revealed in the way the AONB’s communities have responded to the challenges posed by the sea, the fear of invasion and the unique geology of the area. It can be seen in the many miles of sea and riverwalls, the historic heathland sheep walks, and the lonely Martello towers that punctuate the coastline. The development of the landscape in response to local circumstances is also reflected in the unique natural heritage of the AONB, a landscape that contains some of the most famous nature reserves and rarest wildlife in the UK.