Expedition to Orfordness Lighthouse
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Saturday, 6 November 2010
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4 comments |
A 9 mile walk from Slaughden Quay to Orfordness
This walk is an arduous ordeal across shingle but worthwhile to see the site where the iconic Orfordeness lighthouse once stood. There are warning signs deterring visitors from straying beyond Slaughden but the large number of fishermen that dot the shoreline throughout demonstrates that public access is tolerated along the beach. This fascinating, stark and eerie landscape is really a sight to behold.
Expedition to Orfordness Lighthouse - Essential Information
Walk Statistics:
- Start location: Slaughden Quay
- Distance: miles ( km)
- Total Gain: ft ( metre)
- Total Descent: ft ( metre)
- Min Height: ft ( metre)
- Max Height: ft ( metre)
- Walk Time:
- Walk type: Circular
- Walk Grade: Arduous
- Terrain: Shingle throughout
Maps:
The following maps and services can assist in navigating this route. There are links to printed maps and links to downloadable GPX route data for importing into navigational software and apps.
- Ordnance Survey Explorer Map
- OS Explorer 212 - Woodbridge & Saxmundham
- GPX Route File
Route Verification Details
- Date of Walk: 2010-11-06
- Walk Time: 10:30 to 14:30
- Walkers: Griffmonster, Kat
- Weather Conditions: Dry but menacing clouds with glimpses of sunshine
Walk Notes
Orford Ness is a spit of vegetated shingle and marshland and for 70 years was the base for secret military operations including testing of atomic bomb detonators. These days it is under the jurisdiction of the National Trust and despite many signs warning of 'No Access' it is possible to navigate along the shingle all the way to the lighthouse.
With regards to access, this appears to be a very grey area and the answers depend upon who one asks or who one confronts along the route. Orford Ness is owned by the National Trust and is private land. Therefore, presumably any unauthorised access can be declared as trespass. However, the beach, or more specifically, the foreshore is a little different. The term foreshore is defined as the area between low and high water. Over half of the UK foreshore, including the coastal shores of Orford Ness are owned by the Crown Estate which states that it provides "general permissive consent" for "non-commercial public access along the foreshore" it controls (see Navigation Law and Access to Water, also see Crown Estate Act 1961). Given this, then it would appear that permissive access is granted and a land owner has no right to restrict access along that foreshore.
Having stated this, as mentioned by the user comment at the bottom of this page, one may well get challenged. I have known several people to have such experiences, but then I have also known a lot of others to have walked either partial or the whole distance without being bothered by anyone. Rod fishermen are a frequent sight along this coast and they never seem to be challenged, with some walking a considerable distance to find a quiet location to peruse their hobby. I have even known some fishermen to use the opposite side of the Ness, as they have informed me about decaying railway waggons on this side that presumably were from the old Orford Ness railway.
It was an old fisherman who informed me that the access warning signs were added when the National Trust acquired the land and the fishermen wanted to retain their right to fish, so a compromise was brokered and the signs were erected to deter folk not 'in the know' from investigating the Ness. It has to be said that the Ness has a history of secret military projects, some of which still are shrouded in mystery. I guess that it is still a sensitive area and the reason why the National Trust want to limit access. The area does has a mysterious air about it. It is stark, devoid of life. On this expedition we did discover a strange battered spherical thing washed up on the beach. Armament? WWII bomb? We left it well alone. Other curiosities were numerous washed up shoes, owners unknown; a discarded concrete structure, use of unknown; some well weathered bones, origin unknown! This is a bleak and eerie landscape. There is nothing out here but shingle and marsh and derelict buildings and that eerie feeling that one may be intruding.
There is a ferry that runs between the Ness and Orford. However this is run on a limited basis and numbers both out and return are counted. It is not advised to take this as a return as one will no doubt be challenged as to how one navigated across the private land to gain access to the ferry.
It should also be noted that the Orford Lighthouse was demolished in July/August 2020. For many years it had been threatened by coastal erosion despite attempts to prolong its life by shoreline defences. The demolition did manage to save various historic artefacts from the structure and these, along with the saved lantern room are hoped to be made into a memorial structure o the opposite side of the Ness.
The start of 2016 saw a southerly wind where storms started causing damage and erosion to both the sea defence at Slaughden and the beach in front of the lighthouse, threatening its very existence. Facebook group Aldeburgh and Surrounding Images recorded the damage in pictures which are available at www.facebook.com/groups/Aldeburghimages/permalink/809463179165204/ whilst both BBC added an article of the threat to the Lighthouse titled Orfordness lighthouse 'perilously' close to falling into sea and the East Anglian Daily Times article declared On the brink of disaster
Directions
The most direct way to walk between Leiston and Saxmundham avoiding the main road
Follow the sea defence bank south of Slaughter. Soon you come to a locked gateway with a sign saying 'Strictly No Access'. It is clear from the many anglers that no-one appears to take notice of this. Continue onwards. When the path divides with another 'Strictly No Access' sign, continue on the track parallel to the beach. Yet another gateway bars progress and this one has barbed wire either side but it is possible to cgo down to the sea and walk around. From here follow the beach to the lighthouse or take a track that branches off to the right which will lead back to the beach just before the lighthouse.
Features
Orfordness lighthouseView in OS Map | View in Google Map
There has been a lighthouse at Orfordness since 1634 when John Meldrum was granted a patent to build two temporary lights between Sizewell Bank and Aldeburgh Napes. The present building was designed by the architect William Wilkins and constructed in 1792 by Lord braybrooke. This was built further back than its predecessors. The revolving lens which floats on a trough of mercury dates from 1914. The lighthouse was converted to electric in 1959 and remote control switches added in 1964 which are operated from Harwich. The last live-in lighthouse keeper was in 1965. The lighthouse, which produced a flash every 5 seconds and could be seen for up to 25 miles around finally ceased to function on Thursday 27th June 2013 after Trinity House, who operated the lighthouse, recommended it for closure as with increasing technology on board vessels it is considered surplus to requirement. To cover for the lack of the light, Southwold lighthouse was upgraded with a more powerful beam .
The lighthouse gained a reputation for fooling an airbase into believing that a UFO landed in the distant Rendlesham Forest during the Christmas period of 1980. This was used as the main explanation during the early days of the investigation into the incident. Few would now support this explanation after considering the evidence and first hand witness accounts of what happened over the nights of incident.
References
Gallery
Below are a selection of images taken from from the photo album for this walk. Feel free to browse through these or click on an image to view a larger version in the Gallery.
Summary of Document Changes
Last Updated: 2021-12-07
An interesting walks, but I can confirm the National Trust are none to keen on access. I walked past the Martello Tower where there was a barrier "Strictly no access", but after that I dropped down onto the beach (my understanding is that the ownership of land ends at the mean high water line, therefore if you walk below high water line you are not on private land and can't be stopped).
ReplyDeleteThere were only 4 fisherman on the shingle spit when I walked here but unfortunately for me the last one I passed, around 2 miles beyond the Materllo tower turned out to be an "off duty" volunteer for the National Trust at Orford Ness who was spending the day fishing. He told me I was not supposed to be here and couldn't possibly have missed the "numerous signs saying no access". I explained I was only walking along the beach and thought that since I was below the high water mark it was allowed because the foreshore is not private. (The only signs I saw unfortunately did not mention rights for fisherman like the one you have photographed).
Anyway once I explained I was walking only on the beach he told me that I must stick only to the beach and that I should keep out of the way of the warden but if I stuck to the beach he would likely not know I was here and leave me alone. I was told under no cicrumstances could I stray from the beach and if I headed up onto the top of the shingle spit I would be spotted by the warden.
Also I was told that the NT take down the names of all visitors to the spit at Orford Quay where you pay, so that they know who is here and they can count them off and on (and ensure no one is left behind). They also limit the number of visitors to 150 per day. Therefore they do not want people walking here and I was told you would not be allowed to use the ferry one way because they collect your ticket on arrival and you have to ask for it (giving your name) before you can return on the ferry.
The Lighthouse was sold by Trinity House to a private individual around 2 years ago. The relationship between this owner and the NT is also not good I'm told.
Thank you Jon for this useful information.
DeleteSadly, this lighthouse has now been demolished!
ReplyDeletethat is very true, demolished in July/August 2020 due to the coastal erosion threatening to take it. It is hoped that the top will be preserved in a new building on the ness. Pictures and information from the bbc can be found here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-53735247
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