Breckland: Thetford Forest Pingo Trail

The Great Eastern Pingo Trail is a dog friendly 13km circuit on the Breckland fringe near Watton, threading past hundreds of pingos, shallow ponds left behind when ice age permafrost melted out of the ground. The outward leg follows the trackbed of the old Thetford to Swaffham railway, dead flat and shaded by hawthorn and oak, while the return cuts through Thompson Common and a run of wet birch and alder woodland full of dragonflies in summer. It is quiet, unshowy walking with a real sense of Breckland's strange, sandy character.

Dogs are welcome on lead throughout and must be kept under close control wherever conservation grazing is active, which includes Shetland sheep on Thompson Common and long horn cattle along parts of the trail. Access is year round with no seasonal closures. Terrain is flat compacted cinder on the disused railway, grass rides, boardwalked sections across wetter ground and a few short road crossings near Stow Bedon. There are no facilities on site, so bring water and snacks; Watton has the nearest pubs and shops. Parking is free at the dedicated Pingo Trail car park off the A1075 lay-by just before Stow Bedon.