New Transport Links To Some Of Suffolk’s Finest Coastline

16 January, 2005

Note: Coastlink was superceded by the Connecting Communities service

A new transport link from Darsham railway station on the East Suffolk Line will make the popular destinations of RSPB Minsmere and Dunwich village, (including the National Trust’s Dunwich Heath property) easily available throughout the year. At the moment, neither has a regular bus service.

The Countryside Agency, Suffolk County Council, the National Trust, Transport 2000 and the RSPB have come together to fund a special transport service called Coastlink, which will provide the pre-bookable services of a taxi at the cost of a bus fare. Coastlink will serve the area bounded by Southwold, Blythburgh, Yoxford and Leiston Abbey, including Dunwich, Westleton, Middleton, Theberton, Eastbridge, Minsmere and Walberswick.

The new service has three elements:

  • A demand-responsive wheelchair accessible service
  • A seven-days-a-week community car service
  • A bicycle trailer, enabling people to bring their bikes for rides around the area

“We believe that Coastlink will reduce the need for tourists and regular visitors to bring cars to these environmentally sensitive areas,” says Giles Merritt of the Countryside Agency in the East of England, which has provided 40% of the funding for the project. “The service should help to ease traffic congestion and pollution in the lanes of the Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and help to maintain the natural beauty of the area. We hope that local residents and visitors alike will take advantage of the service during the winter months, so that it is firmly established before the start of the tourist season in the spring.”

Journeys can be booked by telephoning Coastlink on 01728 833526.