Walking around Walberswick.

Walberswick is a quintessentially English village with the added bonus of having a long sandy beach. The houses are built in typical Suffolk-style with red tiled roofs and some with thatch.

It is speculated that the name of the village may be derived from the name of a Saxon landowner, possibly Waldbert or Walhbert and the word “wyc” meaning shelter or harbour. It sits on the south bank of the River Blyth and was a major trading port from the 13th century until World War one.

Every year Walberswick hosts the annual British open crabbing championships which sees keen participants dangling crabbing lines in a bid to bag the heaviest crustacean.  I believe the Crabbing Championship was to be held later in the summer.

When we visited though, the crabbers were enthusiastic children, encouraged by their parents, grandparents and usually the family dog!

This traditional seaside hut sells all the equipment for crabbing, i.e. a bucket with a picture of a crab on it and a net on a pole. As soon as the crabs are “caught” they are put in the bucket measured and put back where they came from.

This caught my eye in the village – especially with the wording: “These are tough times! Please help yourself to a book.” How I wish I’d looked in the “Magic Surprise Drawer”.

St Andrew’s Church in Walberswick has a fine 15th-century tower. When the prosperity of the village suffered, there were insufficient funds to maintain the church, and in the 1690s, the parish obtained permission to demolish the old church and build a much smaller one. This was funded by the sale of lead from the roofs and the bells from the tower.

The newer church now sits within the ruins of the old.

Walberswick is just one of the many beautiful villages we wandered around on our recent trip to East Suffolk.

Keep tuned in to this blog to see some more!