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Family activities at Dunwich Heath

Den building at Dunwich Heath and Beach, Suffolk
A family enjoying the den-building area at Dunwich Heath | © National Trust Images/Trevor Ray Hart

Head outdoors for some family fun at Dunwich Heath. Here's what you could get up to on your visit...

Half term fun at Dunwich Heath and Beach

Pick up a tracker pack and explore one of the region’s most fascinating coastlines as it re-awakens for spring.

Search for creepy crawlies in our bug basement or challenge friends and family to a game of ladybirds and damselflies. Burn off some steam on the adventure play area, go pebble-spotting on the beach and then sit back and relax with a hot drink and snack in The Lookout – it's the perfect place to watch the waves roll in from the horizon.

A little girl in a bright pink coat wearing paper bunny ears receiving an Easter trail at a National Trust property
There's loads of fun to be had at National Trust properties across Suffolk this Easter | © Annapurna Mellor/National Trust Images

Easter at Dunwich Heath and Beach

Monday 14 - Sunday 21 April, 2025, from 10am-3.30pm

Join Bunny and Chick for an Easter adventure at Dunwich Heath and Beach! Pick up an Easter trail sheet and some bunny ears and explore our ten-point trail packed with fun activities.  

Look for the chicks hidden in the trees or see who can win an egg and spoon race. Challenge friends and family to a game of pin the tail on the bunny and measure your wingspan to find out who’s more like a chick or a buzzard. Solve some fun riddles along the way, feed the hungry bunny with the bean bag carrots and match the eggs, all before collecting your own dairy or vegan and Free From chocolate egg from Visitor Welcome. 

£3.50 per trail plus car parking. 

Here's an idea of some of the other things you could get up to...

Explore with our tracker packs

10am - 3pm | Free

Collect a tracker pack from visitor welcome and see what wildlife you can discover. Packed full of spotter sheets, pots and magnifying glasses, the packs can help you study nature of all shapes and sizes as you explore the heath, woodland or beach. Just ask for one at visitor welcome when you arrive.

Search for a geo-cache

9am - 4pm | Free

How about a treasure hunt while you take in the beauty of the heath? Download the geo-caching app before you visit and then use it while you're here to find the 13 geo-caches hidden around the site.

Follow a trail

10am - 3pm | Free

Find out more about Dunwich Heath on one of our walking trails, from the role it played through two world wars to the types of trees that grow here. Once you've completed it, head back to the visitor welcome hut for your prize!

Build a den

9am - 4pm | Free

Are you a stick architect? Head to our den building area and gather your sticks then see what kind of den you can build. Will it be long and thin, short and wide, or a bit of both? The possibilities are endless...

Get creative

10am - 3pm | Free

From stick swords to natural mandalas and leaf crowns to Hapazome, let your creative side shine at the craft table in Heath Barn. Get inspired by the sights and sounds of the sea and land around you and see what you can create. 

A mother and her two daughters walking their dog on a lead through the heathland at Dunwich Heath
A family enjoying a dog-friendly walk at Dunwich Heath | © National Trust Images/Trevor Ray Hart

Planning your family visit

Here's some information to help make your family day out at Dunwich Heath and Beach as easy to enjoy as possible:

  • The buggy-friendly accessible route takes in a good portion of the heath, just grab a map from visitor reception.
  • Baby changing can be found in the toilets, adjacent to the car park.
  • High chairs, cups and water jugs are available in the Tearoom.
  • If you fancy a picnic, you'll find picnic benches all around the coastguard cottages. Or you're welcome to take a picnic blanket and find a spot on the grass or on the beach, but please put your litter in the bins provided by the cottages.
  • The toilet block is adjacent to the car park, while there is an accessible toilet in the cottages.
  • The beach is two minutes walk down the slope from the car park.
  • The tearoom is situated in the coastguard cottages, just next to the car park. See our opening times for more details.
  • Visitor welcome is at the edge of the car park. Please collect your parking tickets from here.
Children playing outside coastguard cottages at Dunwich Heath and Beach in Suffolk

Find out more about Dunwich Heath

Find out how to get to Dunwich Heath, where to park, things to see and do, and more.

A couple sitting on a bench with their dog at Dunwich Heath and Beach, Suffolk
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Article

Bringing your dog to Dunwich Heath 

Dunwich Heath is a three pawprint rated place. The nature reserve is a wonderful place to explore with your dog. Here’s all you need to know about visiting with your four-legged friend.

Dartford warbler (Sylvia undata) on yellow gorse with Heath moth in its beak at Ibsley Common, New Forest, Hampshire
Article
Article

Things to see at Dunwich Heath 

Discover the different areas to explore, and the variety of wildlife you can spot when you visit Dunwich Heath, with some rarer species highlighted...

A soldier standing in front of the coastal gun battery at Dunwich Heath during the Second World war
Trail
Trail

Dunwich Heath wartime trail 

A trail taking you on an in-depth dive into the wartime history of Dunwich Heath, stopping at locations around the site that still show evidence of the military activity.

Activities
Walking
DistanceMiles: 2.75 (km: 4.4)
Catering assistant with a tray of coffee and hot chocolate in the cafe at Llanerchaeron, Wales.

Coastguard Cottages tea-room

The tea-room is open for hot and cold drinks, snacks and light meals. If you have an allergy and would like ingredient information, ask one of the staff, who’ll be happy to help.