Cool Place of the Day: RSPB Minsmere nature reserve, Suffolk
Every day, a new place to discover or explore from coolplaces.co.uk
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Festival season is truly upon us, and this weekend it’s time for one of the best and most popular in Latitude. It’s true that if festivals were supermarkets, Latitude would be Waitrose, but the line-ups are always good (this year The National, New Order, Squeeze, among others) and its location in Henham Park, a few miles inland from well-heeled Southwold, is undeniably a good one.
But what to do if you want a break from the super-cool music and über-cool parents? Well, there’s Southwold and Walberswick for a dip in the sea and a bite to eat afterwards. But to really get away from it all we’d recommend a trip to the nearby RSPB nature reserve at Minsmere, an unusual and popular mix of woods, heath and marshland that is truly one of the most glorious spots along the entire Suffolk coast.
It can get crowded, but most of the time its wet woodland and marsh can feel supremely untouched by anything except nature. You can expect to see marsh harriers, avocets, little terns, and, if you're very (very) lucky, bitterns – Minsmere is one of the few places in Britain where these notoriously shy and rare birds breed – plus you might see an otter or two.
There are seven hides in total, and a large viewing platform, overlooking either woodland or reedbed habitats and various trails take in these in several combinations. There's a café that does teas, hot and cold lunches and so on, as well as a shop well-stocked with all manner of birding books and equipment.
Cool Places is a website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments