Thetford Forest
High Lodge
We took advantage of a free open day at High Lodge recently to check out what is there. On a normal day, this is not a cheap day out, with a full day's parking costing around £11. However, there is plenty to do, especially with older kids, so I imagine it is somewhere we will use more in the future.
The park is situated just north of Thetford and just south of Brandon on the A134. There is an entry fee which includes parking from £2.10 an hour. You can also buy a discovery pass for £55 for the year, which gives you unlimited access and great discounts here and in other forest locations around the country. I should think this is definitely a good option if you are local!
One of the main attractions that appealed to me were the wild play features, in particular the "follow that sound" trail. A variety of musical instruments on a very large scale are scattered along a wonderful path in the middle of the forest. Most of them are percussive, and fairly satisfying for even a small toddler! There were a couple that she wasn't big enough to do herself, but she was amused to see the bigger children jumping up and down and running around making different jingles and chimes. I liked the natural look of all the instruments. They do not look out of place amongst the trees, and are large enough for a few children to play at a time.
Other activities on offer included a giant sandpit, a giant slide, a giant swing, and a giant seesaw. There are plenty of playgrounds for different ages, and a sculpture trail to follow and spot different animals. One of the main attractions here for families is the cycling. You can hire bikes for around £6-8 for the first hour and then £2-4 per hour after that. There is a huge network of cycle paths to follow of various levels of difficulty.
For bigger children and adults with a head for heights, the "Go Ape" high ropes course cannot be missed. You need to be over 10 to have a go and it is not cheap at £24 for under 18s, and £32 for adults. It looks like it would take a fairly long time to complete, as it spans a large chunk of the forest. No doubt Amelia will insist on having a go on this when she is old enough.
The facilities for eating include a kiosk, selling a few sandwiches, drinks and ice creams, and a café selling hot and cold meals, including jacket potatoes, so we can eat there! There is also a separate ice cream shop. There are toilet facilities including baby changing in all the toilets. I expect next time we visit, we will take a picnic and go and find a nice spot in the forest. There were lots of people in the café when we went, so we just grabbed a drink and sat under a tree.
For more information and up to date events and prices, check out their website.
The park is situated just north of Thetford and just south of Brandon on the A134. There is an entry fee which includes parking from £2.10 an hour. You can also buy a discovery pass for £55 for the year, which gives you unlimited access and great discounts here and in other forest locations around the country. I should think this is definitely a good option if you are local!
One of the main attractions that appealed to me were the wild play features, in particular the "follow that sound" trail. A variety of musical instruments on a very large scale are scattered along a wonderful path in the middle of the forest. Most of them are percussive, and fairly satisfying for even a small toddler! There were a couple that she wasn't big enough to do herself, but she was amused to see the bigger children jumping up and down and running around making different jingles and chimes. I liked the natural look of all the instruments. They do not look out of place amongst the trees, and are large enough for a few children to play at a time.
Other activities on offer included a giant sandpit, a giant slide, a giant swing, and a giant seesaw. There are plenty of playgrounds for different ages, and a sculpture trail to follow and spot different animals. One of the main attractions here for families is the cycling. You can hire bikes for around £6-8 for the first hour and then £2-4 per hour after that. There is a huge network of cycle paths to follow of various levels of difficulty.
For bigger children and adults with a head for heights, the "Go Ape" high ropes course cannot be missed. You need to be over 10 to have a go and it is not cheap at £24 for under 18s, and £32 for adults. It looks like it would take a fairly long time to complete, as it spans a large chunk of the forest. No doubt Amelia will insist on having a go on this when she is old enough.
The facilities for eating include a kiosk, selling a few sandwiches, drinks and ice creams, and a café selling hot and cold meals, including jacket potatoes, so we can eat there! There is also a separate ice cream shop. There are toilet facilities including baby changing in all the toilets. I expect next time we visit, we will take a picnic and go and find a nice spot in the forest. There were lots of people in the café when we went, so we just grabbed a drink and sat under a tree.
For more information and up to date events and prices, check out their website.
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Brandon Country Park
Oddly enough, I spotted this on the way home from High Lodge. I had never heard of it before and we went to check it out. It is very close to Center Parcs at Elvedon and just before Brandon town itself on the B1106. There is quite a nice mix of parkland with a lake, lush grass and a walled garden, and acres of forest. Like High Lodge, which is only a cycle ride away, it has a warren of paths you can take, and various trails of different lengths. It is clearly very popular with cyclists, as I think we were the only family there on foot the weekend we went.
We could probably have wandered around in the woods all day if we had taken a picnic, but we decided to check out the visitor centre and café on our first visit.
The centre has a little shop that sells maps, a few toys, drinks and ice creams. The café sells a variety of hot and cold drinks and they even had a few gluten free cakes. There are toilets just outside the centre which have changing facilities and there were plenty of high chairs.
Outside the centre is a fantastic playground. It is split into two sections with a great assortment of play equipment for every age. The slide is a great size for a parent to go down with their toddler...
Amelia's favourite thing was a tunnel, which she played in for ages, but she also checked out a roundabout, a little obstacle course, a "spider web" shaped thing and the swings and slide. I liked the fact that this playground, although near the car park, is slightly hidden, so it is not immediately the focus of attention when you arrive. There is also a walled garden near the café which we have yet to explore!
The parking is extremely reasonable at only 70p a day during the week and £2.50 at weekends. We have only barely touched on what is on the site here, but will definitely be returning to explore some more.
More information can be found on their website.
We could probably have wandered around in the woods all day if we had taken a picnic, but we decided to check out the visitor centre and café on our first visit.
The centre has a little shop that sells maps, a few toys, drinks and ice creams. The café sells a variety of hot and cold drinks and they even had a few gluten free cakes. There are toilets just outside the centre which have changing facilities and there were plenty of high chairs.
Outside the centre is a fantastic playground. It is split into two sections with a great assortment of play equipment for every age. The slide is a great size for a parent to go down with their toddler...
Amelia's favourite thing was a tunnel, which she played in for ages, but she also checked out a roundabout, a little obstacle course, a "spider web" shaped thing and the swings and slide. I liked the fact that this playground, although near the car park, is slightly hidden, so it is not immediately the focus of attention when you arrive. There is also a walled garden near the café which we have yet to explore!
The parking is extremely reasonable at only 70p a day during the week and £2.50 at weekends. We have only barely touched on what is on the site here, but will definitely be returning to explore some more.
More information can be found on their website.
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King's Forest - North Stow
A fairly popular spot for dog walkers and horse riders, King's Forest spans alongside the B1106 between West Stow and Elvedon. At North Stow there is a small car park at the side of the road. If you wander through the trees you reach an incredible avenue with pine trees on one side and beech trees on the other. This is a free part of Thetford Forest and has no facilities at all, but is a lovely, tranquil place to go for a walk. We went there with some other little friends for a nature play session, and it went down a treat. We found all sorts of things to delight them, including snails, pinecones, berries, tree trunks and woodlice.
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