River Alde

The River Alde and River Ore form a single river system in Suffolk, flowing past towns such as Snape and Aldeburgh before reaching the North Sea. The rivers take their names from Aldeburgh and Orford, key settlements along their courses. The Alde begins near Brundish and meets the Ore northwest of Blaxhall, where the combined waters become tidal and widen near Snape. From there, the river winds past Aldeburgh before turning south, running parallel to the coast behind a long shingle spit. The final stretch, known as the Ore, stretches for about eleven kilometres from just above Orford to the sea. The river once served as a Tudor port, launching four ships against the Spanish Armada, though it no longer functions as a commercial harbour. Today, it is used for yacht sailing, and its lower reaches pass through marshland and beaches now protected by the National Trust as Orford Ness National Nature Reserve. The shingle spit, Orford Ness, stretches sixteen kilometres and was once home to a secret Cold War radar base. Much of the surrounding countryside remains open farmland, while the tidal sections are designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Visitors to the area find a landscape shaped by rivers and shingle, with wide mudflats near Iken managed as a nature reserve by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. The Alde & Ore Association works to protect the rivers and their banks, while the RSPB’s Boyton Marshes reserve lies between the Ore and the Butley River. The coastline where the Ore meets the sea inspired Meg Rosoff’s novel *What I Was*, adding a literary connection to the natural setting. The river system offers quiet waterways, open marshes, and protected habitats for wildlife.