West Stow #2 - King's Forest

Missus Michaelangelo was finishing the outdoor woodwork. "I don't want you children running about near my ladder", she shouted. Hmm. I'd better take them away, I thought. I'd spotted in my new Ordnance Survey Explorer map 220 - Thetford Forest in The Brecks (just published in March this year), that there was a waymarked walk in the King's Forest at West Stow. Time to try it out.

We headed towards Thetford on the A134, turned left onto the B1106 at the end of the dual carriageway and right at the next roundabout towards Culford. Just before Culford we went straight on where the road bends to the right. In the centre of West Stow we turned left towards the Country Park and Anglo-Saxon village and then right just after the end of the village to the car park at Forest Lodge.

"This is a con. You said we were going to West Stow", said Big Miss. "This is West Stow", I replied. She thought we were going to our usual haunt with the playground and cafe. But she soon cheered up once we got going. The walk is quite varied, with mixed as well as pine forest, of various ages. These trees were the tallest.

On the ground we could feel no wind at all, but we could hear the rustling of the branches up above.

The little ones enjoyed choosing cones to talk home to Mum.

There were plenty to choose from!

One flower we found in profusion in the more open areas along the walk, was Field Scabious.

It is well known as a butterfly plant and, sure enough, we saw plenty of butterflies too. Here's a Painted Lady.

Then, just before the end of the walk, we made a delicious find - some wild raspberries.

Yummy.

Yes. Definitely a walk to add to our list of favourites. I bet it will be good for our mushroom spotting forays in the autumn. It totals about 2 miles and took us just over an hour.