周辺のスポット/アトラクション・トップ20

Take time to go off the trail to the bird hides and vantage points around the water. The route is best in spring before the nettles take over the path in summer!

Starting from the forestry commision car park, hed over the bridge and turn right. This will give you several options for forestry trails and if you head towards Lynford you can then pop on to the road for a short trip to Browns cafe.

The Stanton Downham Bridge was built during the first world war as a rail bridge to transport timber and logging machines. It's been a road bridge since about 1922. The bridge crosses the Little Ouse River.

The pub in Thomson (The Chequers) on Griston Road is worth a visit...old with lots of character.

The memorial honours all those who served in the 7th Armoured Division (The Desert Rats), the 4th Armoured Brigade (The Black Rats), and the 7th Armoured Brigade (The Green Jerboa) throughout history. The area also features a network of interconnected trails perfect for mountain biking, do watch out for walkers though.

A nice memorial here to the 8th Army and it's campaign in Africa during World War II. Nestled within the the outskirts of the King's forest there are a number of other memorials and structures related to 8th Army training here.

Perched up on its plinth after being recently refurbished.

A great place to top up your water, grab a bite to eat and even pop in to the bike shop if you need.

A good stop off for everything from a cafe to toilets to water point and bike shop if you need something to fix your bike.

Just enjoy being out n about

Not so good spot for lunch, move on and find a better place

There is a small museum a few hundred metres beyond this, but it was closed when we were there on a Sunday.

Thompson Water and the common form an SSSI managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. It's a particularly important area for dragonflies and damselflies.

The bridge makes an appearance in Dad’s Army series 5 “Brain Versus Brawn”.

The Pingo Trail is an 8 mile hike around Thompson Common which takes in the delights of the ice age pools known as pingos. As the ground froze, water underneath froze to create little hills. When the ice melted the earth dropped back down and created the pingos. They are usually found in places such as Greenland and Alaska so it is an interesting and unique place to visit.

Santon Downham bridge was built around the start of the First World War by the Canadian army, although a bridge has been on this site since at least the 17th Century. Originally it carried a 3ft gauge railway. The diamond pattern ironwork makes for an attractive crossing over the Little Ouse River. Plans were drawn up to replace it in the 1990's, but were opposed by locals, who liked it just the way it is.

If you plan on having a dog with you, then double check where you can take it around Thompson Water. The main footpath that runs beside Thompson Water is Peddar's Way, so dogs are allowed there, but the rest of the reserve is owned by Norfolk Wildlife Trust and some areas are dog free zones at some points of the year.

Thompson Common is famous for its pingos, a series of around 400 post-glacial depressions. Here, you can see more than 400 different species of plants. It is also one of the most important sites in the county for dragonflies and damselflies; 19 species have been recorded as breeding here. There have been 25 species of butterfly and more than 600 species of beetle recorded here, too.

Really pretty along the river and in the midst of Breckland.

Thompson Common is famous for its pingos; a series of around 400 post-glacial depressions. Here, you can see more than 400 different species of plants. It’s also one of the most important sites in the county for dragonflies and damselflies; 19 species have been recorded as breeding here. There have been 25 species of butterfly and more than 600 species of beetle recorded here, too.