Lowestoft

Summary

As we were staying at the northern end of Lowestoft we decided a walk from our hotel along the north shore to find the most easterly point of Britain, thinking this would be preferable to getting in the car and driving somewhere. Whilst we were successful in our quest, the inclement weather and, it has to be said, the rather unattractive scenery didn't make this one of our favourite walks of the year.

Statistics

Start: The Foxburrow, Yarmouth Road NR32 4AA

Map: OS Explorer OL40: The Broads

Parking: The Foxburrow (but only if you are a customer!)

Distance: 11.1km (about 6.9 miles)

Refreshments: The Foxborrow

The Walk

Turn right as you exit the car park onto the busy Yarmouth Road and cross to the other side. Walk about 500 metres and then turn left into Gunton Church Lane. Go to the end of this road and turn right along the footpath, actually called Hubbard’s Loke. There is a green burial park and a playing field to your left and a number of houses on your right. The footpath comes out onto a road (the B1385) which you need to cross and take the path opposite. You are now in Gunton Warren nature reserve and there are many paths you could take here. We went straight on and down the dunes to come out on the beach. Whichever way you choose, you’ll need to turn right at some stage and walk with the sea to your left.

Not too far ahead is the north beach car park with a promenade of sorts running to the left. You can either take this or keep to the beach. Continue walking all the way now, passing a sad looking caravan park and the Bird’s Eye factory. Set in concrete on your left is a large compass showing the distance to various places around the world. This is Ness Point, Britain’s most easterly point. After wandering around the giant compass and noting that Ostende in Belgium is closer to you than London, continue the walk south until you reach the harbour. From here you can either take the road into town to you right or return the way you’ve come from. We chose the latter; frankly, the walk along the harbour did not look appealing!

Walk all the way back until you get the point where Hubbard’s Loke reaches Gunton Church Lane. Instead of turning left take the footpath through the trees straight in front of you. This pleasant walk through the woods brings you to a concrete lane. Turning right here would take you to the Pleasurewood Hills theme park but you need to turn left. Walk up the track and you will get to a proper road. Continue along here, passing Tesco, and turn left at the roundabout. A couple of hundred metres up the hill brings you back to the Foxburrow.

Notes and musings

Lowestoft is not the most picturesque town on the east coast and is probably overshadowed by its more famous neighbour, Great Yarmouth, some 12 km to the north. Its history, however, is long as evidence of human settlement from 700,000 years ago has been found in the nearby cliffs of Pakefield. Fishing was its main source of income until late in the 20^th century when its role in gas & oil exploration and now renewable energy became more dominant. Perhaps the town’s most famous resident was the composer, Benjamin Britten, who was born there in 1913. The Guardian once described him as “the only person of real celebrity to have emerged from darkest Lowestoft” although footballer Terry Butcher and the rock band, The Darkness, both having roots in the town, might have something to say about that.

NessPoint is Britain’s most easterly point; something few people seem to know and it is certainly less famous than the country’s northerly, westerly and southerly points. It seems to me that there is an opportunity missed here; surely there is potential for exploiting this fact? A compass point next to a smelly factory and what was once Britain’s largest wind turbine is not particularly inspiring, and the nearby thoroughfare being called Gasworks Road doesn’t really help. A quick look online shows that ideas for improvement have been mooted for some time but these don’t yet appear to have come to fruition.

GuntonWarren nature reserve contains a mixture of terrains: sand dunes, shingle, lowland heath and clifftops. Adders have been spotted here but not by us, unfortunately. Amongst the vegetation are a number of World War 2 pillboxes, sadly no more than places to dump rubbish now. Apparently the beach is a recognised spot for naturists although we saw no evidence of this and anybody deciding to bathe au natural in the weather we experienced is either incredibly brave or foolhardy in the extreme.