“Never a dull moment here! An exciting mix of sea and beach with the
industrial backdrop of Britain’s largest container port, Felixstowe Docks,
and the austere military fort.”

A must for anyone who wants to witness the spectacle of bird migration, explore the remarkable plant life or experience a wild, windswept peninsula with 500 years of military history.

Landguard is an exposed sand and shingle peninsula at the mouth of the River Orwell. Despite dramatic winter storms and scorching summer sun, rare shingle flowers, shore birds and a variety of migrants manage to thrive.

In April the short, rabbit cropped grass is studded with blue early forget-me-not, white clover, pink geranium and yellow medick. The open shingle turns almost white by late May as bushy sea kale flourishes. Then it’s the turn of yellow-horned poppy followed by sheep’s sorrel with its rusty orange hues.

In spring and summer fenced off areas protect nesting ringed plover and little tern along with delicate plants such as the rare stinking goosefoot whose flowers resemble tiny broccoli florets!


Little Tern

The glaucous leaves of the
yellow-horned poppy are tough
enough to withstand
harsh maritime conditions

STAR SPECIES
Stinking goosefoot
Little tern
Migrant birds

In autumn numbers of migrating birds can be breathtaking and the nearby bird observatory has recorded 14 species new to Suffolk since 1982. Important breeding birds include little tern, ringed plover, oystercatcher and sometimes wheatear and black redstart.