​Felixstowe and The Languard Peninsula | Dallaswear

Felixstowe and The Languard Peninsula

Felixstowe is a coastal town in the county of Suffolk, England. With a population of nearly 24,000 according to the 2011 census Felixstowe is home to the largest container port in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. In fact, 40% of the containers entering and leaving the United Kingdom do so through the port of Felixstowe. But there is a lot more to Felixstowe than the busy port area.

The town itself has a long high street with a good combination of shops ranging from well-known chains to boutiques.

Felixstowe has a beautiful seafront with well maintained, pretty flower gardens and a four-mile promenade which will take you from Languard Point to Felixstowe Ferry. The Seafront Gardens sit on the cliffs between the town centre and the beach. They benefited from a multi-million pound restoration in 2015. Stretching for nearly a kilometre along the promenade, the gardens were originally planted during Victorian times when Felixstowe became a popular destination at a time when it was becoming fashionable to visit coastal resorts. Much of the original planting survives to this day and there has been little change to the overall layout of the gardens. The beautiful gardens are Grade II listed and are the reason why Felixstowe to become known as “The Garden Resort of East Anglia”.

The wide prom is not only pleasant for a lovely walk by the sea with pretty little beach huts along the way. It is also the site of many events that take place throughout the year. Under normal circumstances, pre covid, Felixstowe has a fun and lively Events Calendar. At the moment there are events planned for 2021 including one of our personal favourites the Ipswich to Felixstowe Classic Vehicle Rally. For vintage car and hot rod enthusiasts it’s a fantastic day out. Not only can you see the cars on their way from Ipswich, they all park up along the prom where you can get a fantastic view of them, ask the owners questions and take photographs. The owners make it an extra special day, often dressing in clothes from the era of their vehicles. The hot rods feature amazing paint jobs and decoration. There is a lovely atmosphere and everybody enjoys themselves.

Also planned for next year are Felixstowe Fun Runs, a carnival, a book festival, Art on the Prom and a Christmas Market, among others. We have visited Art on the Prom in previous years and it has been another great day out. Many

local artists have stalls along the prom displaying their work. The Art on display is of a very high standard ranging from paintings and photography to pottery and glasswork. The stalls stretch from the pier to the theatre.

A walk along the promenade is a pleasant experience with cafes and kiosks to stop at for a drink and sweet treat. Closer to the pier there are traditional seaside attractions such as arcades and funfair rides for children.

At the most southerly point of Felixstowe is an area called the Languard Peninsula. Here you will find much of historical interest. Languard Fort is undoubtedly one of England’s best preserved coastal defences and has a history dating back nearly 450 years. Close by is Felixstowe Museum. The Languard Visitor Centre and View Point Café offer something for everyone. There are video displays all about the peninsula and the attractions on offer to visitors. The café has indoor and outdoor seating, and is the ideal spot to watch the giant container ships entering both Harwich Harbour and the Port of Felixstowe.

Languard Nature Reserve is another very interesting place to visit. It is quite unusual. Situated on the shingle beach it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the vegetated shingle. Although East Anglia has a high instance of shingle beaches it is unusual for it to be vegetated. Species of vegetation you will see here include Sea Kale, Sea Pea, Sea Beet and Sea Campion. The vegetation is very delicate and visitors are reminded to avoid treading on the plants if at all possible because they are unable to withstand trampling. From April to July Ringed Plovers lay their eggs on the beach, so it is very important that visitors are very careful if visiting during this period. Interestingly, this part of the coast is home to the only Kelp in Suffolk. The careful observer may be lucky enough to find Mermaid’s Purses (egg cases of Skate, Dogfish or Ray) and Starfish during a walk along the beach. The natural world mixes well with the manmade at Languard Nature Reserve. Rifle butts protect the top half of the Reserve from the wind allowing Common Lizards to thrive. Other species you may see include rabbits, weasels, jumping spiders and Hummingbird Hawk Moths. The area has a military history dating back to the time of Henry VIII, which did not end until 1971 when the military withdrew. The area retains evidence of military use in the form of dips in the terrain where soldiers practiced trench warfare, the foundations of military buildings as well as gun emplacements.

Spring and Autumn attracts birdwatchers due to seasonal migration. It is a busy time for those working at the Bird Observatory where the birds are ringed and records are kept of the birds arriving in and leaving Britain. The area is a natural stop off point for migrating birds. The Observatory also records and identifies moth species and have, to date, identified over 900 species.

Felixstowe is just 71 miles from London and there are good road and rail connections. It is an interesting destination full of history, nature and seaside tradition. We love Felixstowe.

Please be advised the purpose of our blogs is to share some of the places we love to visit and the things we enjoy doing. Due to coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns it is advisable to check before visiting any of the areas we talk about.