Thetford Forest
Encyclopedia
Thetford Forest is the largest lowland pine forest in Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Thetford Forest Park is located in a region straddling the north 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...
in England
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...
. Breckland Forest is found within Thetford Forest Park and constitutes 28,947.4 Ha in the form of a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
.
History
Thetford Forest was created after the First World War to provide a strategic reserve of timber, since the country had lost so many oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s and other slow-growing trees as a consequence of the war's demands. It is managed by the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
. The creation of the forest destroyed much of the typical Breckland
Breckland
The Breckland as a landscape region is an unusual natural habitat of England. It comprises the gorse-covered sandy 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...
environment of gorse and sandy ridges, ending the frequent sand blows (where the wind picked up sand and blew it across the road reducing visibility). However, this environment was itself man-made, since the area had been denuded by flint-mining, the construction of rabbit warrens and other activities. 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...
is located within the forest.
Biodiversity
The forest is largely surrounded by farmland, as well as the villages of West StowWest Stow
West Stow is a small parish in West Suffolk, England.The village lies north of Bury St. Edmunds, south of Mildenhall and Thetford and west of the villages of Culford and Ingham in the area known as the Breckland.This area is located near the Lark River Valley and populated from AD 420-650.it is...
, Ingham
Ingham
-People:* Albert Ingham, Mathematician* Alice Ingham, Roman Catholic nun and missionary.* Barrie Ingham, British actor* Benjamin Ingham, 18th Century Yorkshire Evangelist* Bernard Ingham, British journalist and former press secretary to Margaret Thatcher...
, Elveden
Elveden
Elveden is a village and civil parish in the Forest Heath district of Suffolk in eastern England. In 2005 it had a population of 270.The village is located on the A11 between Cambridge and Norwich and experiences a high volume of traffic...
, and the towns of Mundford
Mundford
Mundford is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated at the intersection of two major routes, the A134 Colchester to King's Lynn road and the A1065 Mildenhall to Fakenham road, about north west of Thetford...
and 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, and Brandon
Brandon, Suffolk
Brandon is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk. It is in the Forest Heath local government district.Brandon is located in the Breckland area on the border of Suffolk with the adjoining county of Norfolk...
in Suffolk, however it has a high level of biodiversity. It is home to a large population of hares, rabbits and gamebirds. Several species of deer also reside there, Muntjac
Muntjac
Muntjac, also known as Barking Deer and Mastreani Deer, are small deer of the genus Muntiacus. Muntjac are the oldest known deer, appearing 15–35 million years ago, with remains found in Miocene deposits in France, Germany and Poland....
, Roe Deer
Roe Deer
The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...
and a small population of Red Deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
, the last hunted by the Thetford Forest Staghounds before deer hunting was outlawed.
The forest is well known for its scarce breeding birds, such as Woodlark
Woodlark
The Woodlark is the only lark in the genus Lullula. It breeds across most of Europe, the Middle East Asia and the mountains of north Africa. It is mainly resident in the west of its range, but eastern populations of this passerine bird are more migratory, moving further south in winter...
, Nightjar
Nightjar
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds with long wings, short legs and very short bills. They are sometimes referred to as goatsuckers from the mistaken belief that they suck milk from goats . Some New World species are named as nighthawks...
, Goshawk, Crossbill
Crossbill
The crossbill is a bird in the finch family . The three to five species are all classified in the genus Loxia. These birds are characterised by the mandibles crossing at their tips, which gives the group its English name...
, Siskin
Siskin
-Birds:The name siskin when referring to a bird is derived from an adaptation of the German dialect words sisschen, zeischen, which are diminuative forms of Middle High German and Middle Low German words, which are themselves apparently of Slavic origin...
as well as an introduced population of Golden Pheasant
Golden Pheasant
The Golden Pheasant or "Chinese Pheasant", is a gamebird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae...
. All of these can be found at the Mayday recreation site. Stone Curlew
Stone Curlew
The Stone Curlew, Eurasian Thick-knee, or Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus is a northern species of the Burhinidae bird family....
breed on the edges of the forest and there is often a wintering Great Grey Shrike
Great Grey Shrike
The Great Grey Shrike or Northern Grey Shrike is a large songbird species in the shrike family . It forms a superspecies with its parapatric southern relatives, the Southern Grey Shrike , the Chinese Grey Shrike and the Loggerhead Shrike...
.
High Lodge Visitors Centre
Deep in the heart of the forest lies High Lodge Visitors Centre. High Lodge has a 100 seater restaurant, gift shop, cycle hire, adventure play area, walking trails and cycling trails. It is also the home to the Go ApeGo Ape
Go Ape Ltd. is an outdoor pursuits company which runs 26 high wire adventure courses in forests in England, Scotland and Wales consisting of rope ladders, zip-lines, rope bridges, trapezes and swings...
high wire adventure course.
There is an hourly parking charge from which the money raised is injected back into the forest and is much needed for the survival of such facilities. Year long season tickets are also available .
The centre is open all year round, except Christmas Day.
Mountain biking
The forest is a popular destination for mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
, and has several marked trails
CTC off-road trail grades
A grading system for way-marked off-road cycling trails has been adopted in the UK, and is used by official bodies such as the Forestry Commission and IMBA-UK. It was originally developed by Cyclists' Touring Club employee Colin Palmer in June 1999, based on a system widely used for grading...
ranging from those suitable for families, to the Black Trail
CTC off-road trail grades
A grading system for way-marked off-road cycling trails has been adopted in the UK, and is used by official bodies such as the Forestry Commission and IMBA-UK. It was originally developed by Cyclists' Touring Club employee Colin Palmer in June 1999, based on a system widely used for grading...
for experienced riders. The forest also has hundreds of miles of singletrack, several bomb holes and a steeply undulating section called The Beast.
National cross-country cycling
Cross-country cycling
Cross-country cycling is the most common discipline of mountain biking. While less publicized than downhill cycling as it is more difficult to televise, it garners the highest levels of participation both recreationally and competitively....
races are held in the forest. There is also a recently formed organisation called TIMBER (Thetford Improved Mountain Biking EnviRonment) which aims to work with the Forestry Commission to improve the mountain bike trails in the forest.
Bikes can be hired from the High Lodge Forest Centre and mountain bike instruction is also offered.
Music in the forest
It also hosts annual concerts from such luminaries as PulpPulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
and Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
.
2007 saw The Feeling
The Feeling
The Feeling are a BRIT award-nominated English pop band from West Sussex and London. The band categorise their music as "pop".Following a limited release of their first single "Fill My Little World" in late 2005, the band entered the UK Singles Chart at #7 with their first full release "Sewn" in...
, Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
, M People
M People
M People are a British house music act from Manchester, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.-Career:...
, Travis
Travis (band)
Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
, James Morrison
James Morrison (singer)
James Morrison is a BRIT Award-winning English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Rugby, Warwickshire. In 2006, his debut single "You Give Me Something" became a hit in Europe, Australia, and Japan, peaking in the top five in the UK and New Zealand. His debut album, Undiscovered, debuted at the...
and Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
take to the stage at High Lodge.
Keane played at Thetford on one of their forest tour dates in the summer of 2010.
Other activities
The Roman roadRoman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
, known as 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...
leads from the north Norfolk coast and reaches its end in Thetford Forest, near Knettishall
Knettishall
Knettishall is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located on the south bank of the River Little Ouse , in 2005 it had a population of 40...
. Other walking routes in the Forest connect to it. There is also a walk way through the trees called 'Go Ape
Go Ape
Go Ape Ltd. is an outdoor pursuits company which runs 26 high wire adventure courses in forests in England, Scotland and Wales consisting of rope ladders, zip-lines, rope bridges, trapezes and swings...
'. There is a Center Parcs
Center Parcs
Center Parcs is a European network of holiday villages incorporating a UK-based company, Center Parcs UK, which runs holiday villages in the United Kingdom and a sister enterprise, Center Parcs Europe, that operates in numerous locations in continental Europe...
holiday resort at Elveden which also brings many visitors.
A sizeable proportion of Thetford Forest and the surrounding woodlands is reserved for military activities in an area known as 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...
. Public access is forbidden; this land is used for farming, so one can often hear small-arms fire from the far side of an idyllic meadow covered in grazing sheep.
Thetford Forest has been mentioned on the Caravan channel as a good place to go with your caravan.
The British Siberian Husky Racing Association holds several husky
Husky
Husky is a general name for a type of dog originally used to pull sleds in northern regions, differentiated from other sled dog types by their fast hard pulling style...
racing events in the forest each winter.
Paintballing activities also take place on the Thetford Forest site.