Breckland

Breckland is a local government district in Norfolk, in the East of England, named after the Brecks, a landscape of sandy, free-draining soils and flinty gravel. Farming here historically used short rotations that created "brecks"—areas of cultivated then fallow ground—leaving a patchwork of arable land, heaths and pine plantations. Thetford Forest lies within the district and includes long stands of Scots pine planted on former heath; pockets of remnant dry acid grassland and gorse remain on shallow sands.

The area supports species linked to open ground: stone curlew nest on wide stubble fields and arable margins, and populations of lowland heath plants persist in scattered reserves and protected sites. Parts of the district are designated for nature conservation under national and European frameworks. Human settlement and transport trace old routes: lanes and sections of Peddars Way follow earlier tracks, and archaeological features such as medieval earthworks and field systems occur across the landscape, reflecting long continuity of land use.