Westleton

Westleton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk. It is located 4 mi north of Leiston and 5 mi north-east of Saxmundham near the North Sea coast. The village is on the edge of the Suffolk Sandlings, an area of lowland heathland. The village lies along the B1125 road, 2 mi to the east of the A12 and Darsham railway station.

Westleton Heath National Nature Reserve is 0.5 mi north east of the village. The heath is crossed by a minor road from Westleton to the coastal village of Dunwich, 2 mi to the east. The famous Minsmere RSPB reserve lies immediately to the east of the village.

The fourteenth-century village church of St Peter in Westleton was built by monks from Sibton Abbey near Saxmundham. The church has twice seen the collapse of its tower: in 1776 under the strain of hurricane winds; and during World War II, when the smaller wooden replacement had to be demolished following bomb damage. It is a grade II* listed building.

Westleton retains some other basic services, helped by its proximity to the coast and Minsmere. These include a post office, two bookshops, a garage and two pubs, the White Horse and The Crown. The latter is a historic coaching inn dating from the 12th century. The bookshop, Chapel Books, has been depicted in print in Julie Myerson's 2003 novel, Something Might Happen, as the location for a seduction scene.