Place of Interest or Activity

Brandon Country Park

Bury Road, Brandon, Suffolk IP27 0SU

Tel: 01842 810185

For thousands of years the area, where Brandon Country Park is now, was an open, sandy, windswept heath. Until 1942, when Lakenheath airbase was built, it was Europe's largest inland sand dune system.

Edward Bliss, a businessman, bought over a thousand hectares of the Brecks in 1820 to create a wooded park and arboretum. By the end of World War1, the park had fallen into neglect. As a result of the economic depression caused by the war, the Government was determined to become self-sufficient in timber. Thetford Forest, planted in 1927, is one of the lowland forests they created. At the end of the last century, English Nature leased land from the Forestry Commission to return some of the commercial forestry areas to the original heathland. Brandon Park Heath, only a mile from the Visitor Centre, is the result. In just under 200 years, we've come full-circle.

When you and your family want to enjoy nature, and learn about the environment and its history, visit Brandon Country Park. At Brandon, you can stroll and picnic in the charming walled garden. You can also head further afield, following the invigorating walks and cycle trails that guide you through the arboretum, commercial forest and restored heathland.

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