Tinkers Shop, Walberswick

The Walberswick Ferry (rowing boat) operates a daily service 10am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 5pm (weekends only April, May, October, no service November to March). Tickets 80p per person, 80p cycles, dogs free!

The Walberswick Ferry

Walberswick is a delightful coastal village, just across the river from Southwold. The origins of the name Walberswick has caused much interest and is said to derive from an amalgamation of the Saxon name ‘Waldbert’ and ‘wyc’ which means harbor or shelter. Neighboring Dunwich is famous for falling victim to the aggression of the North Sea, with coastal erosion resulting in the town disappearing into waves in the 13th century. With Dunwich’s demise, Walberswick grew in economic significant and became a major trading port from the 13th century right through to the First World War.

Walberswick is a quaint and unassuming rural village. Tucked away in the shadow of the more popular Southwold it has remained less developed and retains much of its ancient maritime charm. Like Southwold though, Walberswick too has become a victim of the unstoppable holiday market with almost half of the properties in the village being holiday homes.  Owners of such property include a number of celebrities including the family of the late Sir Clement Freud, a prominent British journalist and once Liberal Democrat MP, film director Richard Curtis of Love Actually fame, actor Geoffrey Palmer and journalist and politician Martin Bell.

The view of Walberswick, with Southwold in the distance

Major landmarks include a 15th century Church, St Andrew’s, which can be found at the top of the village. The size of the current Church ruins indicates how large a parish Walberswick once was, a hint of its past maritime importance.  The sign welcoming visitors to the village includes some ornate metalwork and was erected in 1953 in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth the second’s coronation. The village is also well known for its extensive World War Two defenses including pillboxes, flame fougasse installations and landmines. Many of which can still be seen dotting the surrounding landscape.

St Andrews, set amongst the ruins of a much larger church

The village sign

The village has an impressive literary and artistic history too. Novelist Esther Freund set her novel ‘The Sea House’ in the fictional town of ‘Steerborough’ inspired by Walberswick. This fictitious name gives further clue to the heritage of the village. ‘Steer’ refers to one time resident Philip Wilson Steer. Wilson was an influential British artist, central to the English Impressionist movement in the early 1900’s before his death in 1942. Steer would spend many an hour sketching the Walberswick landscape and would then develop these simple sketches into impressionist works. This Suffolk village was also home to architect and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh, most famous for designing the Queens Cross Church in Glasgow and as a major UK exponent of Art Nouveau. Walberswick was also the birthplace of Oscar nominated documentary film maker Humphrey Jennings, who is best known for his Second World War documentaries.

The Bell Inn (Adnams)

As if the artistic and maritime heritage isn’t enough, Walberswick is also home to stunning natural beauty. Over 1000 acres of health and marshland surround the village, all of which are protected within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. No doubt the eerie landscape of flat, endless marshes inspired much of Walberswick’s artistic legacy.

The local landscape is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Finally the village is also famous for its annual crabbing competition. The British Open Crabbing Championship is held in August and attracts participants from all across the globe. The rules are simple. The person who catches the single heaviest crab within 90 minutes wins. All the proceeds of the championship go to the strengthening of the sea defenses. The locals are keen not to suffer the same fate as Dunwich! It’s also a great place for you to try your hand at a bit of amateur crabbing. The crabs don’t seem to mind too much either as long as you provide them with some tasty bait but do make sure you let them all go for someone else to find! - watching them crawl sideways along the mud back into the harbour is always a memorable moment.

Walberswick beach, a great place to catch some crabs!

A visit to Suffolk’s idyllic coastline wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Walberswick. A unique mix of art, natural scenery, maritime history and local traditions offers something for everyone. And who knows, visit in August, land yourself a giant crab, and you might just walk away a champion.

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