Breckland Local Group

From The Chair

I have been fortunate to live and work in the Norfolk countryside all of my life and have come to appreciate its rich natural surroundings. I hope that together with the NWT I can encourage visitors and residents in the area to explore and understand all that the area has to offer If you would like any general information about the Breckland area or our group activities please contact me. I look forward to meeting you at one of our events.
Mark Sullivan

Our Local Area

Breckland is the rural area of south west Norfolk which covers the countryside around the market towns of Attleborough, Dereham, Swaffham, Thetford and Watton. It has been known for centuries as 'heath and rye' country, a traditional form of land use developed whereby the heathlands or 'brecks' were used for arable cultivation in times of prosperity and then allowed to revert back to heath when the sandy soils nutrients were exhausted. This shifting cultivation eventually gave its name to the region known today as Breckland.

The area has a rich heritage dating back to the Stone Age with flint working through to the middle ages when sheep farming brought prosperity. The main trading routes being the Peddars Way and Icknield Way, both long distance footpaths. The distinctive landscape was dramatically changed during the 1920’s by the creation of Thetford Forest. The planting of conifer plantations eventually resulted in creating the largest lowland forest in the UK for commercial timber production.

NWT has woodland and heathland reserves at East Wretham Heath, Hockham Fen, Hoe Rough, Grimes Graves, New Buckenham Common, Thetford Heath, Scarning Fen, Wayland Wood and Weeting Heath. This diverse range of habitats, together with the rivers Little Ouse, Thet, Wissey and Lark, is of particular interest to geologists, naturalists, archaeologists as well as being a valuable recreation area for walking , cycling, and horse riding.

Wether you are a resident or visitor you will soon come to appreciate this special area of the county.

About the Group

The Local Breckland group of the NWT is based at Watton. We aim to promote the work of NWT and provide residents and visitors to the area with a varied range of talks and visits. Our talks are held in October, November, December, March and April and cover a wide selection of subjects from Natural History to Local Crafts. All are presented by experienced and friendly experts. In May, June and September, guided visits are arranged within Norfolk to nature reserves or other important historical or ecological sites. Both members and non members are welcome to attend.

2007 Talks and Visits with the Breckland Group
March: How we used to live. A talk illustrated with slides by David Grimes on living in the countryside gave all present thoughtful memories of our younger days.
April: The group's AGM, followed by a slide presentation about the wildlife encountered during a visit to Ethiopia had by Allan Hales and friends.
May: A guided visit around the Lizard Nature reserve at Wymondham by local group member Barry Sullivan. With the area rich in wild flowers and songbirds there was a variety of interest for all.
June: John Milton ,NWT Woodland and Heathlands Field Officer, led the group around Wayland Wood and gave a detailed history of this ancient wood and how it is managed for the benefit of wildlife.
September: The group visited the British Trust for Ornithology Headquarters at Thetford and received a warm welcome from reserve managers/field officers Chris Gregory and Paul Radcliffe. Paul took us around the ancient buildings that are used by the BTO explaining the valuable work done and the history of the site. This was followed by a guided walk around the adjacent nature reserve by Chris. The highlight of which was a good view of a pair of stone curlews. With excellent weather this was a most enjoyable visit.
October: This month we invited Breckland farmer Ian Howard to come and talk about how he grows the plant Woad and produces from it the colouring he then uses to dye quality clothing and other products. A range of which he brought for sale.
November: A slide presentation by Robert Maidstone about the variety of flowers to be be found in a Norfolk hedgerow proved very interesting.
December: This was our pre Christmas event with a slide presentation by local photographer Trevor Burlingham of pictures taken on walks around East Anglia. He also included many useful hints and tips on taking photos.

Contact Us

Contact: Mark Sullivan 01953 498467