Knettishall Heath Nature Reserve

Address: Knettishall Heath, Thetford, Suffolk, IP22 2TQ

What3Words: rider.trackers.clearing

Parking: Plentiful – £2.50 all day if staying after 10am

Difficulty: Green – all paths are well made flat tracks, although the usual warning applies that they may be slippery if muddy. At the time of visiting the black track was closed due to fallen trees.

We could easily class this one as walks in Norfolk too as the site is very close to the Norfolk border. Situated about 10 minutes outside Thetford on the road to Diss. We had a good walk out here between Christmas and New Year. The reserve was reasonably busy, but no so as to spoil the enjoyment.

The site is maintained and operated by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust who do a cracking job. The reserve covers 175 acres and is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The river in particular is home to a number of rare species with conservation information waterside. As a consequence they do request dogs do not enter the river.

There are a good choice of trails to choose from, all of which are well signposted throughout the reserve. The shorter 1 mile trails typically being very popular with dog walkers.

Knettishall Heath

The heath in total extends to about 430 acres. There are a number of these heaths across the Breckland region, and there numerous rare species across all of them. Of all the animal species found across these heaths approximately 30% are said to be rare on a national basis.

Throughout the reserve there are ponies grazing to be seen. At the time of our visit these were all contained within fenced off fields. The ponies were friendly enough, but seemingly not bothered by the presence of the walkers going past their fields.

The heath itself is much more than just a heathland. As part of it’s 430 acres it also has areas of woodland as well as riverside meadows to enjoy,

Facilities

As well as numerous well maintained car parks, there are also a good clean toilets to be found just off the main car park. Also at the main car park is a local Barista coffee van which is present most days. I have a fairly simple tastes and went for the Americano, which was hot and one of the nicest I’ve had in a long while. All in all two coffees and two chocolate brownie pieces cost us less than £10.