Staff and volunteers at the National Trust’s Orford Ness are celebrating their first ever entirely sold-out season. Having remained closed throughout 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, the site on the Suffolk coast reopened on Good Friday 2021 and has been sold out every day it’s been open, until the end of season on Saturday 30 October.
For the first time in its 26-year history of being open to visitors, every single seat, on every single ferry crossing has been sold out.
2020 had planned to be a special year for Orford Ness, marking 25 years since the site opened to the public under the care of the National Trust, and so the disappointment of having to remain closed during that landmark year has been tempered by the success of this year’s visitor season.
An incredibly sensitive and important home for nature and a designated National Nature Reserve, Orford Ness also attracts visitors keen to learn more about its 80-year period as a top-secret military test facility.
Since July 1, visitors to Orford Ness have also been able to view a major new art exhibition by acclaimed producers Artangel. Afterness features work commissioned by internationally renowned artists inspired by the unique landscape and history of Orford Ness.
Demand for tickets has been strong throughout the season. Featuring in Kate Humble’s Coastal Britain series on Channel 5 gave the property a big boost, with many visitors saying they had been inspired to book after watching the programme.
Glen Pearce, Property Operations Manager for Orford Ness, welcomes the success of the season; “524 days after we closed our doors at the end of our 2019 season, we were delighted to reopen this year. We’re so pleased to have been able to welcome the number of visitors we’ve had in the last seven months, providing access once more to this unique landscape, nature and history.
It’s all thanks to our members and visitors that we’re able to raise the vital funds needed to care for such a special corner of the Suffolk coast.” Orford Ness is now closed for the winter but reopens at Easter 2022 and more information can be found at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/orfordness.