Trailing the Hidden Heritage of High Lodge

Overview

High Lodge, between Thetford and Brandon, is the visitor hub for Thetford Forest, offering recreational facilities for 400 000 visitors annually. There is very little information about its long history and heritage, a heritage that is a microcosm of the wider landscape history of the Brecks.

The project is funded by Heritage Lottery fund and will create an all-ability multi-user trail through Thetford Forest at High Lodge to  reveal and interpret its landscape history. The trail, up to 5 kilometres, will be accessible to everyone (excluding horse-riders) as it will have a smooth surface and be suitable for families and less experienced cyclists while those with access limitations will be able to use specially-adapted bikes. Benches and shelters will give ‘rest places’ and meet the needs of those with restricted health and mobility.

The Trail will explore the landscape features which make up the heritage of High Lodge. It will show how people have shaped that landscape, from prehistoric wildwood clearance to medieval rabbit farming; from gunflint mining in the eighteenth century to the creation of Thetford Forest in the twentieth and how its present-day management balances the needs of timber production with those of wildlife and recreation.

Why your views matter

The project will carry out consultation with visitors; those with access needs; community, voluntary and special interest groups; disadvantaged groups; ethnic minorities; schools and further education establishments; partners and stakeholders, to help meet needs and expectations. The results will inform the route; interpretation; activities and learning.

What happens next

 The results will inform the route; interpretation; activities and learning.