Thetford Forest

The Breckland is a strip of sandy, drought-prone heath that had been farmed badly enough by the early twentieth century that soil was blowing off the fields, and the newly formed Forestry Commission began planting Corsican and Scots pine here in 1922 to create a strategic timber reserve after the First World War. The result is around nineteen thousand hectares, the largest lowland pine forest in England, laid out in blocks with rides between them. Clear-felled areas and young plantings suit nightjars, one of the scarce birds the forest is known for, churring at dusk from late May; woodlark and goshawk also breed. Grimes Graves, a Neolithic flint mine field of at least 433 shafts, one of which can be climbed down into, sits on the forest edge. High Lodge is the main visitor hub with mountain-bike trails and a Go Ape course.

The landscape

• The planted blocks - pine set out from 1922 to stop soil blowing off the Brecks.
• The nightjars - churring at dusk in clearings from late May to July.
• Grimes Graves - Neolithic flint mines with one shaft open to descend.
• The trail network - waymarked cycling and walking routes from High Lodge.

When to go

May to September; late May to early July at dusk for nightjars, which need a still, warm evening. Grimes Graves opens seasonally and the shaft descent is by ladder.

What to expect

Commercial plantation is monotonous in the interior, with straight rides and even-aged stands, and the best wildlife is in the felled and open areas rather than under the trees. Parking is charged at all main car parks. The shaft at Grimes Graves is a vertical ladder in a confined space.

Nearby

Thetford and Brandon sit at either end; the Brecks heaths and Lakenheath Fen lie close.

Key facts