LETTERS, NOTES AND QUERIES

A brisk walk on Boxing Day is always necessary if, like most of us, you have overindulged the day before. Dunwich Heath on Boxing Day is always full of walkers, and 2006 was no exception.

I walked from the Coastguard’s Cottages alongside Docwra’s Ditch, through the woods to Eastbridge, round to the Sluice and back along the beach. Chilly and overcast, but enjoyable nonetheless.

As the path leaves the Ditch and turns left into the woods there is a fairly new gate which is usually described as a ‘kissing gate’, hinged and within post fences, impossible for bicycles or large animals to pass through, you would imagine. However, the sandy path revealed the slots of a very large, heavy (presumably male given the size and depth of the slots) red deer, which went straight to the gate and reappeared on the other side. The sand within the confines of the gate showed deep gouges and the deer had clearly got itself through by shoving and pushing round the swinging gate. Evidence of this was also found on the gate itself, where small tufts of hair were caught.

The gate was relatively new and I assume it cuts across an established deer track. Deer can go round it fairly easily to pick up the track again, so why did this one choose to make his life difficult by forcing his way through the gate? Or did he think it was easy to get round and then get stuck, hence the gouged sand? It must have been a really tight squeeze, as deer are not built to bend in the middle and this is what he must have done to get through.

Later in the walk I saw a pair of juvenile stags, who were surprisingly tolerant of my proximity. Perhaps the deer at Dunwich are becoming accustomed to people, and adapting to our presence. If they can get through the gates, one wonders what else they will learn to do.

Nick Mayo
Saxmundham