We are RSPB members and this is one of our favourite sites. The staff were really helpful at the desk, advising us of the best routes to take to see the most interesting wildlife based on recent sightings. We saw adders about 5 minutes after we arrived! There were also marsh harriers and many water birds, plus we heard the bitterns booming. Lovely coastal site. The cafe was delightful and we bought a few bits in the shop. Great day out 😁

I came here today with my 1 year old daughter. We had a lovely time, having a slow stroll, looking around to see what wildlife we could see. I love the fact there are family activities in the woodland like "build a den", such a great idea! When our daughter is a bit older, I will definitely bring her back to do this. Lovely, friendly and helpful staff too :)

Beautiful sea, marsh, and woodland. Staff are super helpful. Tons of birds and other animals all throughout. Kind of cool that Sizewell B looms in the distance; very contrasting to the nature around.

What an amazing place. Went two days running. It's well laid out and the staff friendly and knowledgeable. I have a really bad back awaiting surgery so walking for me is painful. On day two I hired a mobility scooter to help me get around. It made my stay a lot more comfortable. Not many ducks geese or swans about yet but the Hobby and Marsh Harrier were showing well. Cafe was great too. If you get a chance to try the tomato and red pepper soup , do. It was superb

Absolutely amazing reserve,fantastic staff well stocked shop offering everything from trinkets to top of the range binoculars and delicious food in cafe/restaurant.two days is not enough to take it all in!!Excellent x

Where do I start? Visited there for the first time last week. Paid £10 each. Hubster and I were asked very politely if we wanted to consider signing up to a monthly subscription to RSPB, min of £5.50 for joint unlimited entry to ALL RSPB centers in the UK. We said we'd just walk about first so paid the £20 and off we went. Spent just 2 hours there, went to the beach and a couple of hides. Absolutely loved the idea of spending the day on the beach, walking about the reserve, taking pics of the birds from the hides so when we got back to the visitors' centre we signed up. Got a refund of the £20. Can't wait to go again. So worth it.

Lovely place, flat and access able, didn't walk the whole reserve today, cafe good.

We went in November so it nay not have been the full experience. The walks are predefined with high bushes either side which blocks the coastal views that we went for. The actual heath is a bit more open and beautiful and the dog had a lovely time. Their cafe wasn't very good - I really don't recommend the hot chocolate as it was just weak sugar water. Wasn't expensive though. Overall a nice walk.

A beautiful place for peace and quiet..lots of walks but beware the snakes and mosquitoes (july) so proper outdoor clothing if you're susceptible like me!!!...

Fantastic views, lots of walks and teaming with nature. Nice cafe and outside seating. Secondhand book shop. Shingle beach and swimming if you like that sort of thing. Toilets available.

Lovely area for walk. It has the free carpark for tge beach. Woodlands and the beautiful heaths. We go dog walking and its perfect. Certain times are dogs on leads due to birds nesting . Nice pub and museum near the beach area. National trust cafe up the road . Free carparking if you hold a nt card. Lovely views and area to sit in or outside. Easily spend a day

Absolutely stunning place! Gorgeous heath with walking trails, cafe, toilets, picnic benches parking (chargeable bring cash) & beach.

Great views from the cliff tops, free carparking for n t members,plenty of walks and dog walks

Stunning views of the coast and heath very peaceful place great for dog walking !

I came here for a little explore with my daughter and dog yesterday (16th June), it was lovely. Such a lovely ruin of the old friary. Ideal photography opportunity! We also found the last grave, which is situated a short walk down from the ruin.

Greyfriars Friary is a must visit if you are in Dunwich. It’s free to visit and what is nice is that it’s a completely unrestricted site, so you can walk amongst the ruins which our kids loved. There are a few display signs outlining the history of the site, but other than that there not much to see and do. It only takes 30-40 mins to see everything. In sum, a great piece of well maintained history to visit but there is not much to do. Three stars.

This Friary is well worth a visit, and don't just walk in, look at 'the last grave', still not eaten away by the advancing sea as it undermines the cliffs, and then wander  straight off again.  Head into the woods to the South of the abbey (being careful near the cliff edge), and explore there a bit, see pictures below.  You can park at the car park in the village and walk back along the coast path, there's no need to walk along the narrow road, or go to the National Trust at Dunwich Heather and walk from there.  It won't take you a lot longer to walk than drive it so just leave the car at the NT car park and spend a few hours exploring the coast here, it's awesome.  You can also do it the other way round if you park at Dunwich village beachside car park, (which is free), and you won't risk getting locked in at the NT car park, as the barrier comes down pretty promptly when they all go home.  Leave a donation in their coffers if you can afford it tho, its a superb facility so lets keep it free. There's also a nice set of enclosed benches made out of disused fisherman's huts, (I think anyway), really nice, as  they are a bit sheltered.  A warm evening spent wandering along this coastline is a stunning way to reconnect with nature though, highly recommended.

A great place to visit with lovely walks in the local area too, which is an added bonus. It's really interesting to read about the history of the monastery. There's free parking just a short distance away in the local car park which also has lovely, clean public toilets.

Short walk from the beach carpark or Ship pub. Large walled plot with a horse paddock taking up most of it, but still great access from either beach or road entrances so you can walk in it and also view the last grave. There was a cemetery on the beach side which has been lost to coastal erosion - apparently look out for skeleton bones poking out the cliff - grim. We didn't see any. Boo

It is an interesting historic site that is worthwhile visiting if you are in Dunwich. Information boards are located nearby and a donation box to support ongoing maintenance is located at the entrance gate on the path close to the cliff path. It's worth visiting if you are in Dunwich.

It's a nice place to walk around. Not much to see at the monastery but with the beach and a cafe a 5 minute walk away the area is worth a visit. There is also a church with the ruins of a leper hospital here.

Nice beach, would be even better with a made coastal path at the back on the beach imho

A beach that seems to go on forever. Dogs loved the place and it's great for a long walk to blow the cobwebs off. In Winter months I dare say it is very cold but wrap up and there is a lovely cafe for hot drinks, snacks and lunch.

I hadn't been here since I was a kid, so I decided to include it in my trip. Fabulous cafe with toilets available. Spent a lovely hour sat on the beach with coffee and cake enjoying the sea. 🩷🧡💛

Large free car park that you may make a donation at right at the beach edge, the beach itself being long and stony. Nice cafe with attached toilets, all in a very relaxed and pleasant spot for a picnic and swim if the weather agrees

Natural shingle beach backed by small cliff, nice cafe for fish and chips on the beach.

So great walking routes from here, some are specifically wheelchair friendly. You can walk along the coast or deep into the heath and varying distances are available. Plenty of parking and easy access to pebble beach.

If you like uninterrupted beaches and huge skies then Dunwich is a must, you have a wonderful beach to walk then hop over the dune and enjoy a saltmarsh walk back . Good place to see birds too . Can get busy in peak season but has a big free carpark and a cafe

Stopped for lunch on a road trip. Very tasty food - we had the special (Cromer Crab with potatoes and salad) as did most others in our party. Everyone loved it. Excellent service as well

Never stayed so cannot comment on the rooms. This was our first visit to Dunwich for a good 15 years and we were not disappointed. It is aways good to know that there is a decent drinking and food establishment available after ou have been for a long walk. The Ship is this, plenty of inside and outside seating, good selection of drinks, and food, although, the food is a bit on the pricey side, it did look very good, we never ate so comment on the quality or taste. Staff were friendly and helpful, the outside bar the top of the steps in the back garden is a plus as this can save you a walk down the steps to the main bar and back up again. I would definitely recommend this establishment.

I visited the pub as I love the Chestnut Group venues. Food is always well presented, tasty and value for money. The staff are always helpful and friendly. Forgot to scan my loyalty card but oh well there's several other pubs in the chain to visit 😀. I did not stay in any of the rooms but from photos they look to be luxurious.

Didn’t stay here at The Ship, just came through on our return walk to Southwold, was rather hot and bothered when we arrived and was overwhelmed when we came in as the rooms are in and out rooms and wished we could’ve received some assistance and shown to a seat after I told the lady we already had walked around and was struggling… very confused with the prices… we had white bait (£7.50) + tomato and basil (£9) + fish and chips (£19), x1 coke and x1 aspals and the cost came to £46? I’ve been reading the comments about a service charged added but didn’t receive service as ordered at the bar, and no one came to ask how our meal was… left rather disappointed! Hubby had a salad with his fish and chips which came drenched in dressing so he didn’t eat it most of it and had maybe 12 chips? And large haddock? No that was definitely a small! I usually only have good things to say when reviewing restaurants but this place really misses the mark for us! Prices elevated and portions small! The building is lovely and well decorated. Dog friendly. Paid before we ate and won’t be returning.

Stayed at The Ship just over a week ago. The village is beautiful and the location is pretty special. Our room (overlooking the car park) was really good & very spacious. We had a couple of drinks in the garden and we were very much looking forward to our evening meal based on the food coming out of the kitchen. However, and this could be due to us probably being the last to be served that evening, but our main course was a real let down. What could go wrong with fish & chips went wrong. Everything tasted of burnt chip fat, including the fish. The chips were black & we couldn't get our fork into them. Sadly we had to leave everything. We mentioned this to the server (who was lovely & slightly embarrassed as he could see that practically nothing had been touched) but apart from a "sorry" from him, that was it. A 10% 'locals discount' was applied but absolutely nothing else was said. You can do better than this.

We had a lovely stay here as the location is SENSATIONAL. A few things to note; the pub was really dog friendly which was great, as I say the location is completely unbeatable and the general vibe is nice. However, our room was literally in the car park and wasn't very clean, nor were the public bathrooms. The service for dinner was very inattentive - we wanted puddings but no one came into the bar area to check with us once so we had no chance to. The biggest disappointment was the menu - it was the standard Chestnut Group fair which just was such a let down for the location, it is 30 seconds from the beach and there was no local catch of the day or any sort of seafood menu, the only option being fish and chips. It would be wonderful to get a proper seaside experience and have a host of local items to choose from, making use of what's on the doorstep!!!! We definitely would return for the general ambience but a few things were found lacking.

Unfortunately I cannot recommend this place, despite its beautiful location... firstly, we attempted to make an online booking, however we were only able to book for up to 9 people, I phoned up shortly after making the booking, and said it was more likely to be around 12, they said that would be fine. When we arrived, the staff appeared very annoyed by our presence. Huffing, puffing, and eye rolling like we were an incredible inconvenience to them. We were put on a table, and then moved. Again with much huffing and visible frustration. We were then put into a lovely looking room, however the service was quite simply shocking. Shortly after settling into the room, a blond lady came in, barking at us, demanding our drinks order. We were shocked by how she spoke towards us. She later came back again and demanded our menu choices, again loudly and directly barking at us all - clearly we were an incredible inconvenience to her, and she wanted to make that very clear to all of us. I have never experienced treatment like it, and truly hope she doesn’t treat all customers in this way. We were all shocked at how unwelcome we were made to feel, for almost the entire time that we were there. Customers can be frustrating we get that - especially a large group, but treating customers in the way we were treated and made to feel, is absolutely not okay. We had also booked a room here for the night, if we hadn’t have already paid for it before arriving then we would have just left and gone home - we had never experienced anything like it, and felt so uncomfortable staying. We were made to feel so uncomfortable, and like we were such inconveniences - despite spending upwards of £1000 with them that day (meal for 12, room for the night), not that the amount we spent should matter. We will never go back.

It's never going to be easy making a local museum a highlight of a holiday for someone, but it will live long in the memory. Small but lots to see and upstairs there's a reasonable amount of interactive stuff for younger children. I spent too much in the little bookshop, but they were all so good. This is a great example of a local museum run by people who love their village.

A small but wonderful museum with a great deal of detail about Dunwich past and present. The volunteer member was cheerful and informative. The museum is well worth a visit if you are in the area and it's free to enter although they ask for donations to help keep the place running.

It is a small museum but it is full of interesting things. The little model of the city how it was and is now clearly shows the devastation. The chap was extremely pleasant, informative and passionate with always makes for a pleasant experience.

We were staying nearby to the museum for a few days and visited the museum during our trip. It was very informative and friendly visit. We were visiting over Halloween and the museum organised a guided ghost walk around the area. Both the kids and adults in our group really enjoyed it and we were very impressed. Would recommend.

A delightful museum with an enormous amount of information packed into a small space.. A timeline around the walls of the ground floor showed Dunwich's rise from a coastal settlement to its peak as a prosperous trading port and fall through the centuries in the losing battle against the sea to its present day status as a picturesque tourist attraction. The museum staff are enthusiastic and committed to their role. I was lucky to chat with the chairman of the museum trustees (I think) who was a fount of knowledge about Dunwich and its history. On the first floor there was a chance to watch a short film about the once town/city, now village and listen to an old man (not real) tell tales of the busy smuggling trade of times gone by. For younger visitors (and old if they wanted) there were mediaeval hats to try on and guess who would wear them whilst in the reading room behind the museum there was the chance to make bath bombs, fragrant herb bags and try one's hand at dyeing using fresh flowers and herbs. All in all a great experience

I came here 25 years ago and remembered the model of the town showing how many buildings were lost to erosion by the sea. The museum is small and well laid out, and there is lots of interesting information to read. Upstairs, there were some interactive displays that children would enjoy. The recruiting booth for new smugglers was great fun. There is no charge to walk around. A suggested donation of £2 per person is requested.

We had a lovely visit yesterday, the museum is beautifully presented, with all details covered, little magnifying glasses to read coins etc.. lovely find.

What a gem of a place. Not your average tea rooms. A full menu of delicious chef-prepared food. We had the hake with risotto, omelette and chips, salt n pepper squid, and kids burger. All delicious, with efficient friendly service.

The food is good, they have vegetarian options. There is a selection of good quality gifts and sauces. Toilet facilities are very fancy.

If you're in the area or thereabouts a visit to Dunwich Tea Rooms is a must. Absolutely the best fish n chips

We visited twice and on both occasions the staff were very pleasant, helpful and cheerful. The food was excellent, especially the Eton mess type sundaes. It does get very busy but that is always a sign of a good place that cooks to order. We will definitely be back when we are in the area.

Excellent service, food and overall we were delighted. The food was fresh and tasty, well Prepared with quality ingredients. Price was good and overall I was very very impressed with the service and quality on bank holiday Monday when the place was heaving. Well done.

Didn't have food. Only tea and it was OK. Counter staff not really friendly. Appreciate it was busy, but still. Apparently the fish and chips is very good, but cannot comment other than there were a fair few coming out. Very expensive, even a kids meal £7. Will go to the area again as it's on the beach

Lovely friendly service and tasty fish & chips. Toilets spotlessly clean. Large free car park, and a little shop with ice creams and gifts, with prices which don't make you wince.

First thing first, all staff on site were lovely, helpful and friendly. Just back from a weekend touring Campervan pitch. Pitch was large and shaded in the trees. If you want a weekend away which seems off grid this is for you. No 5G, plus no WiFi unless in the bar area. Really could do with WiFi on all pitches, as limited phone service. Beach was nice, not a great deal around the site, which some might like and some might not. Real downside for us was the toilet blocks, we were in the north site, below par on cleanliness and only two toilets were in order, so a bit of a queue in the morning.. used main block toilets too, these were also not clean. A shame.

Friendly and very helpful staff. Very accommodating. Beautiful location, literally walk over the road to the heath paths..so much exploring available on the doorstep. Great birdwatching. From the park you can walk down steps to the beach(a bit of a climb, not suitable for all)Cottages have everything you need, comfortable and clean.

Lovely peaceful well laid out camping area. Excellent clean facilities and direct access to the beach. Nice outside bar and dining area, good food, drinks and service by friendly welcoming staff. Will definitely be visiting again 👍

Had a beautiful stay. The Lodge was privately owned but booked via the Holiday Park. The site is stunning with plenty of amenities and sectioned off with lots of greenery. A stones throw from Dunwich Beach with beautiful views. There was no phone signal and WiFi in our lodges or at the campsite but it was actually nice to switch off.

Love this spot for camping, kids love the beach and play park, camping feels really secluded, surround by beautiful big trees! Wurzel the grounds keeper is an absolute legend!

Camped here and had a great time. Excellent bar and food looked really good. Excellent facilities throughout and really helpful staff.

Excellent food last evening at The 12 Lost Churches Restaurant. A varied menu and really excellent food. Great staff. It must be difficult for the chef to adapt for the variation of the number of people visiting the restaurant as it is in the campsite grounds but last evening we were served a well cooked and presented dinner. Caesar salad followed be a well cooked bass with excellent side dishes. Excellent in my view. Sadly now, June 2025, after a fire in the restaurant things are a tad different.