Discover 5 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Felixstowe (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Landguard Fort, Felixstowe Pier, and Trimley Marshes. Also, be sure to include Bawdsey Radar in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Felixstowe (England).
Table of Contents
Landguard Fort
Fortress in England. Landguard Fort is a fort at the mouth of the River Orwell outside Felixstowe, Suffolk, designed to guard the mouth of the river. It is now open to the public.[1]
Address: View Point Road, IP11 3TW Felixstowe
Felixstowe Pier
Felixstowe Pier is a pleasure pier in the Edwardian seaside town of Felixstowe, Suffolk, England. The pier opened in August 1905 with a total length of 2,640 feet and its own railway station, and was once one of the longest in the country. Steamer services operated from the pier to various destinations.
During the war, the pier was sectioned to reduce the risk of enemy invasion, which it never fully recovered from, resulting in the pierhead being demolished after the war, having been left to deteriorate.
In 2017, a new shore-end structure was opened to the public at a cost of £3m, offering family entertainments as part of a wider regeneration scheme for the local area.[2]
Address: Seafront, Felixstowe, IP11 2AE, Felixstowe
Trimley Marshes
Trimley Marshes is a 77 hectare nature reserve west of Trimley St Mary, on the outskirts of Felixstowe in Suffolk. It is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. It is in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Orwell Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest, the Stour and Orwell Estuaries Ramsar site internationally important wetland site and Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.
This site has a reservoir, islands, reedbeds and marshes. It has a rich variety and number of birds, such as redshankss, avocets, oystercatchers, little grebes and gadwalls.
There is access to the site from Cordy's Lane.[3]
Bawdsey Radar
Royal Air Force Bawdsey or more simply RAF Bawdsey is a former Royal Air Force station situated on the eastern coast in Suffolk, England. Also known as Bawdsey Research Station, the first Chain Home radar station was built there, characterized by eight tall masts, four for transmitting and four for receiving. When the research group moved to Dundee in September 1939, the radar station was left active under the name RAF Bawdsey. The site later hosted a Bristol Bloodhound surface-to-air missile station until 1990, with the station closing in 1991.[4]
Address: The Transmitter Block, IP12 3AT Bawdsey
Sealand
The Principality of Sealand is an unrecognized micronation that claims HM Fort Roughs, an offshore platform in the North Sea approximately 12 kilometres off the coast of Suffolk, as its territory. Roughs Tower is a Maunsell Sea Fort that was built by the British in international waters during World War II. Since 1967, the decommissioned Roughs Tower has been occupied and claimed as a sovereign state by the family and associates of Paddy Roy Bates. Bates seized Roughs Tower from a group of pirate radio broadcasters in 1967 with the intention of setting up his own station there. Sealand was invaded by mercenaries in 1978, but was able to repel the attack.
Since 1987, when the United Kingdom extended its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, the platform has been in British territory. While Sealand has been described as the world's smallest country, it is not recognized by any sovereign state.[5]