High Lodge, Thetford Forest
Nature Reserves, Country Parks & Beaches · Mildenhall, Suffolk
No reviews yet
Closed — opens tomorrow at 9am
🌳 Outdoor1–33–55–88–1212–16🛝 PlaygroundAdventure play🌲 WoodlandEducationalBirthday partiesMemberships available
What’s there
- Café on site
- Paid parking
- Baby changing
- Picnic area
- Birthday parties
- Dogs welcome
Access & inclusion
- Step-free access
- Changing Places toilet
Paid ANPR car park, pay-on-foot, no cash: up to 1hr GBP3.50, 2hrs GBP6.50, 3hrs GBP10, 4hrs GBP13, all day GBP15.50; early bird before 11am GBP5; drop-off GBP3.50; 12 accessible bays; Forestry England/High Lodge members park free.
Only facilities we’ve confirmed are listed — anything missing here we simply haven’t checked, rather than know to be absent.
High Lodge is Thetford Forest's family visitor centre, on the Suffolk side of the forest between Brandon and Thetford. There are inclusive play areas dotted through the trees, waymarked walking trails, an easy-access trail and family cycle trails with bike hire plus a Ride Experience. The Gruffalo Trail and Room on the Broom Trail bring favourite stories to life, and seasonal activities and events run all year. The cafe serves hot food and drink seven days a week, picnic areas and BBQ hire are available, and Go Ape Thetford operates on the same site. Open every day except Christmas Day.
Questions parents ask
- Can I get a buggy or pushchair around High Lodge?
- We haven't confirmed whether buggies are practical on the trails at High Lodge. We'd recommend contacting the site directly to discuss your specific needs, as terrain varies across the woodland and cycling trails.
- Is there food available, or should we bring a picnic?
- High Lodge Cafe is open daily and serves hot snacks and light meals. There's also a picnic area on site, though the site is binless so you'll need to take your rubbish home with you.
- How long should we allow for a visit?
- This depends on what you'd like to do — there are play areas, walking trails, cycling trails, and activities like Go Ape and archery. A half-day visit allows time for a trail and the play area, but you could easily spend a full day exploring everything on offer.
- Will a rainy day ruin our visit?
- Much of High Lodge is outdoors in woodland, so heavy rain would affect play areas and trails. The Cafe provides shelter, and there's an indoor space available, but bad weather would limit the main activities.
- Is the car park close to where we need to be, or is it a long walk?
- High Lodge has 12 accessible parking spaces and a car park on site. For detailed information about the layout and walking distances to facilities, we'd recommend checking the access information page on the Forestry England website.
Stuff to take with you
The things people wish they’d packed for a day out like this one.
Wellies- Puddle suitThe only way a toddler stays dry at a farm in February.
Refillable water bottleMost places will fill it for free.
Snacks that survive a rucksackCheaper than the café, and buys you twenty minutes.
Bodyboard
Toddler reins
Walking boots
Ice packs- Sudocrem
A penForms, competitions, name badges.
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Photos: Anna Tesar, CC BY 2.0 · PAUL (Van de Velde) -Fotografie, CC BY 2.0 · conbon33 (Flickr), CC BY 2.0
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