Breckland
Encyclopedia
The Breckland as a landscape region is an unusual natural habitat of England
. It comprises the gorse
-covered sand
y heath
that exists in the north of the county of Suffolk
and the south of Norfolk
. An area of considerable interest for its unusual flora and fauna, it lies to the south east of another unusual habitat, The Fens
, and to the south west of the Norfolk Broads. The typical tree of this area is the Scots Pine
. The Brecks are one of the driest places in England.
The area of Breckland has been substantially reduced in the twentieth century by the impact of modern farming and the creation in 1914 of Thetford Forest
. However substantial areas have been preserved, not least by the presence of the British Army
on the Stanford Battle Area
.
During the Prehistoric period the Breckland was mined for flint
, evidence for which can be found at Grimes Graves
just outside the town of Thetford
in Norfolk
. The word 'Breck' is medieval and was defined as being an area of heathland broken up for cultivation before being allowed to retreat back into wilderness. Up until 200 years ago, much of it consisted of open heathland.
The Brecklands today provide a tourist attraction as well as an area of scientific and geographical interest.
The Breckland landscape region has given its name to Breckland District
, a local government district
that contains most of Norfolk's portion of the Breckland. Parts of Forest Heath District
and St Edmundsbury Borough
cover the Suffolk portion.
The Great Eastern Pingo
Trail is 8 miles of tracks and paths exploring the eastern edge of the Breckland area. The trail takes in the commons at the villages of Thompson
and Stow Bedon
, and heathland at Breckles
and Great Hockham
. Thompson Water
, an artificial lake, and the woodland at Thompson Carr also form part of the walk. The name of the trail comes from the former Great Eastern Railway
and the large number of collapsed pingo
s found in the area. The trail may be accessed as a detour from the Peddars Way
long distance footpath.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It comprises the gorse
Gorse
Gorse, furze, furse or whin is a genus of about 20 plant species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green...
-covered sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
y heath
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
that exists in the north of the county of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and the south of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. An area of considerable interest for its unusual flora and fauna, it lies to the south east of another unusual habitat, The Fens
The Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
, and to the south west of the Norfolk Broads. The typical tree of this area is the Scots Pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
. The Brecks are one of the driest places in England.
The area of Breckland has been substantially reduced in the twentieth century by the impact of modern farming and the creation in 1914 of Thetford Forest
Thetford Forest
Thetford Forest is the largest lowland pine forest in Britain, Thetford Forest Park is located in a region straddling the north of Suffolk and the south of Norfolk in England...
. However substantial areas have been preserved, not least by the presence of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
on the Stanford Battle Area
Stanford Battle Area
Stanford Battle Area, better known as the Stanford Training Area , is a British Army training area situated in the English county of Norfolk. The area is approximately in size; it is some north of the town of Thetford and south-west of the city of Norwich...
.
During the Prehistoric period the Breckland was mined for flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
, evidence for which can be found at Grimes Graves
Grimes Graves
Grime's Graves is a large Neolithic flint mining complex near Brandon in England close to the border between Norfolk and Suffolk. It was worked between around circa 3000 BC and circa 1900 BC, although production may have continued well into the Bronze and Iron Ages owing to the low cost of flint...
just outside the town of Thetford
Thetford
Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just south of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , has a population of 21,588.-History:...
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. The word 'Breck' is medieval and was defined as being an area of heathland broken up for cultivation before being allowed to retreat back into wilderness. Up until 200 years ago, much of it consisted of open heathland.
The Brecklands today provide a tourist attraction as well as an area of scientific and geographical interest.
The Breckland landscape region has given its name to Breckland District
Breckland (district)
Breckland District is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in East Dereham.Breckland District derives its name from the Breckland landscape region, a gorse covered sandy heath of south Norfolk and north Suffolk...
, a local government district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
that contains most of Norfolk's portion of the Breckland. Parts of Forest Heath District
Forest Heath
Forest Heath is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council is based in Mildenhall. Other towns in the district include Newmarket....
and St Edmundsbury Borough
St Edmundsbury
St Edmundsbury may refer to:* The old or poetic name for Bury St Edmunds* St Edmundsbury, a borough centred on the town of Bury St Edmunds* The Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, the Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and St James's Cathedral, St Edmundsbury...
cover the Suffolk portion.
The Great Eastern Pingo
Pingo
A pingo, also called a hydrolaccolith, is a mound of earth-covered ice found in the Arctic and subarctic that can reach up to in height and up to in diameter. The term originated as the Inuvialuktun word for a small hill. A pingo is a periglacial landform, which is defined as a nonglacial...
Trail is 8 miles of tracks and paths exploring the eastern edge of the Breckland area. The trail takes in the commons at the villages of Thompson
Thompson, Norfolk
Thompson, Norfolk is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 341 in 147 households as of the 2001 census...
and Stow Bedon
Stow Bedon
Stow Bedon is a village of 287 inhabitants in the Breckland district of the English county of Norfolk.The Domesday Book mentions Stow Bedon, but in limited detail....
, and heathland at Breckles
Breckles
The church of Breckles St Margaret is an Anglican church near Stow Bedon, Norfolk, England. It is one of 124 existing round-tower churches in Norfolk. The church is an active parish church in the Diocese of Norwich. It has been designated a Grade I listed building by English Heritage.-External...
and Great Hockham
Great Hockham
Great Hockham is a village in the English county of Norfolk within the civil parish of Hockham, though the distinction between village and parish may now be moot as there is evidence to suggest that the other village in the parish, Little Hockham, is now deserted.The village lies north east of...
. Thompson Water
Thompson Water
Thompson Water is a man made lake located at Thompson in the English county of Norfolk.Created in 1845 and covering , Thompson Water is owned and managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust....
, an artificial lake, and the woodland at Thompson Carr also form part of the walk. The name of the trail comes from the former Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
and the large number of collapsed pingo
Pingo
A pingo, also called a hydrolaccolith, is a mound of earth-covered ice found in the Arctic and subarctic that can reach up to in height and up to in diameter. The term originated as the Inuvialuktun word for a small hill. A pingo is a periglacial landform, which is defined as a nonglacial...
s found in the area. The trail may be accessed as a detour from the Peddars Way
Peddars Way
The Peddars Way is a long distance footpath in Norfolk, England. It is 46 miles long and follows the route of a Roman road. It has been suggested by more than one writer that it was not created by the Romans but was an ancient trackway, a branch or extension of the Icknield Way, used and...
long distance footpath.