Enjoying Heathland Enjoying River Ipswich A14
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Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Enjoying Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is a beautiful place to explore and enjoy. From striking coastal scenery to picturesque rural countryside, it is a diverse Heathland landscape with plenty to offer both people and wildlife. In the Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB It is one of Britain’s finest landscapes and covers 403 km²/155 m² including historic towns and quaint little villages, windswept shingle beaches, ancient heaths and wild-life rich wetlands. AONBs are part of the UK ‘family’ of 46 AONBs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and are nationally protected landscapes cared for by locally accountable partnerships that promote and support effective long term management to keep them special. Further Information www.suffolkcoastandheaths.org Tel: 01394 384948 Email: [email protected] This leaflet has been funded and published in partnership by the RSPB and Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB, supported by EU Life+ and Natura 2000. Natura 2000 - Europe’s nature for you. The Suffolk Sandlings heaths are part of the European Natura 2000 Network. They have been designated because they Four heaths to visit... host some of Europe’s most threatened species and habitats. All 27 countries Westleton and Dunwich Heaths of the EU are working together through the Natura 2000 network to safeguard Europe’s rich and diverse natural heritage for the benefit of all. Snape Warren Tunstall and Blaxhall Commons Sutton and Hollesley Commons Text and design © Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB, 2014; cover photo by www.thesuffolkcoast.co.uk 1 2 3 4 The Suffolk Suffolk Sandlings Sandlings make make up one up ofone our of most our importantmost important landscapes. landscapes. An area of An grassland, area of gorse, grassland, scattered gorse, trees scattered and heather, trees found and on someheather, of the found poorest, on mostsome acidic of the soils poorest, in eastern most England, acidic the soils Sandlings in eastern support England, rare birds the and Sandlings a range of support characteristic rare birdsheath landand plantsa range andof characteristic animals. Open heathlandAccess legislation plants now and gives animals. us more Open opportunity Access legislationthan ever before now togives enjoy us these more beautiful opportunity places, thanbut care ever is neededbefore ifto theirenjoy wonderful these beautiful wildlife isplaces, to be saved but care for future is needed generations if their to wonderful enjoy. wildlife is to be saved for future generations to enjoy. hehe Sandlings take theirtheir namename from from a anarrow narrow band band of of light, light, sandy sandy soils soils that that run Tree andand woodlandwoodland clearanceclearance continued continued until until the the 17th 17th Century. Century. Human Human settlements settlements runroughly roughly north-south north-south from from Southwold Southwold to the to eastern the eastern fringe fringeof Ipswich. of Ipswich. The soil were usuallyusually on areasareas of of more more fertile fertile ground, ground, adjacent adjacent to heaths.to heaths. The The heathland heathland was T Thewas soilformed was fromformed material from washedmaterial out washed from theout ice from sheet the during ice sheet the lastduring ice age, usedwas used for a forrange a range of purposes: of purposes: gorse topsgorse were tops cut were for foddercut for for fodder animals, for animals,while the Tbetweenthe last ice 10,000 age, - 70,000between years 10,000 ago. As- 70,000 the ice retreatedyears ago. and As thethe climate ice retreated slowly andwarmed, the olderwhile partsthe older provided parts fuel. provided Trees werefuel. Treesalso cut were for fuel,also cutwhile for bracken fuel, while was brackengathered was for theclimate Sandlings slowly landscape warmed, wouldthe Sandlings have become landscape wooded. would Over have thousands become ofwooded. years animalgathered bedding, for animal fuel bedding,and also to fuel provide and also potash to provide for industries potash such for industriesas glass and such soap- as peopleOver thousands gradually of cleared years thepeople trees gradually and grazed cleared their animalsthe trees on and the grazedland, preventing their making.glass and Domestic soapmaking. animals were grazed on the heath and turf and peat were cut for theanimals regrowth on the of theland, forest preventing and leading the regrowth to a more ofopen the landscape, forest and not leading unlike to the a more fuel, a practice known as ‘turbary’. All these activities maintained the open nature of countryside we see today. theDomestic heath andanimals prevented were grazedit reverting on the back heath to woodland. and turf and peat were cut for fuel, open landscape, not unlike the countryside we see today. a practice known as ‘turbary’. All these activities maintained the open nature of The sandysandy soilssoils areare very very light,light, so so easy easy to to cultivate cultivate compared compared to tothe the clay-dominated clay-dominated Inthe the heath last century,and prevented the Sandlings it reverting heaths back have to changed woodland. dramatically. In the last Modern century, intensive the soils toto thethe west, west, but but also also acidic acidic and and relatively relatively infertile. infertile. Farmers Farmers were were able able to growto grow farmingSandlings methods, have changed commercial dramatically forestry, through military modernuse and urbanintensive development farming methods, have all crops onon the the land, land, but but the the nutrients nutrients in inthe the ground ground were were quickly quickly exhausted, exhausted, forcing forcing broughtcommercial change forestry, to the military Sandlings use and and much urban of development.the area’s heaths Over have 90% been of lost. the once people toto move move to to new new areas. areas. Plants Plants that that we we think think of oftoday today as heathlandas heathland species species Fortunately,continuous areathe importance of Sandlings’ of theheath heaths of medieval is now well times understood has been and lost. all Heathlands the gradually colonised thesethese areas, areas, thriving thriving in in the the more more open open landscape. landscape. Perhaps Perhaps as longas significanthave become remaining one of thefragments rarest andof the most Sandlings threatened are now habitats protected in the and world. under Britain some aslong 4,000 as years4,000 ago, years large ago, expanses large expanses of heathland of heathland had already had developed already developed in this area, in a formtoday of has conservation 58,000 hectares management. of lowland heathland, which is about 20% of the total patchworkthis area, a of patchwork grassland, of gorse, grassland, scattered gorse, trees scattered and heather. trees and heather. world resource. Fortunately, the importance of the heaths is now well understood Nationally, there are 58,000 hectares (about 143,000 acres) of lowland heathland in and all significant remaining fragments of the Sandlings are protected and under Grazing intensified withwith thethe introduction introduction of of sheep, sheep, around around 1,000 1,000 years years ago, ago, and and Britain today. This is about 20% of the total world resource. Over 80% of Britain's some form of conservation management. Heathland restoration started in the dominated farmingfarming inin thethe Sandlings Sandlings until until comparatively comparatively recently. recently. Apart Apart from from the the river lowland heathland has been lost since 1800 - 17% in the last 50 years. Today outside 1980s. Today many organisations work in partnership to keep, manage and valleysriver valleys that cutthat through cut through the area, the much area, of much this landof this had land become had becomea virtually a virtuallycontinuous Suffolk, lowland heathland is found in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey, re-create the Sandlings’ heaths for you and future generations to enjoy. areacontinuous of heath area through of heath which through huge flocks which of huge sheep flocks roamed, of sheepunder roamed,the care of under skilled the Norfolk, Essex, Staffordshire, Pembrokeshire, west Glamorgan and west Gwynedd. shepherds.care of skilled This shepherds. means that This although means the that Sandlings although heaths the Sandlings may seem heaths like a natural ma Look inside to find out how to enjoy these beautiful places without harming their landscape,seem like a they natural are reallylandscape, created they by people.are really created by people. Lookvulnerable inside vegetation to find out andhow sensitive to enjoy theseinhabitants. beautiful places without harming them. Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Natural Outstanding of Area Beauty Natural Outstanding of Area Suffolk Coast and Heaths and Coast Suffolk Heaths and Coast Suffolk Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB. Heaths and Coast Suffolk raised by businesses who support conservation in the in conservation support who businesses by raised Connect funds a wide range of projects using money using projects of range wide a funds Connect Group, a member of Connect. Connect. of member a Group, Thorpeness and Aldeburgh Hotels Aldeburgh and Thorpeness This leaflet has been funded by funded been has leaflet This Text and design © Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB Unit, 2009 Unit, AONB Heaths and Coast Suffolk © design and Text Sandlings Walk Sandlings Harwich Main roads Main [email protected] Felixstowe River Stour River