From the museums and bustling shopping areas, masses of local businesses, plus hotels, restaurants, schools, the leisure centre and beautiful flint cottages, there are many draws to Thertford.
Fans of the much loved BBC sitcom Dad's Army know Thetford well. The original series was filmed in Thetford and the town has a Dad's Army and a museum dedicated to the series.
The town's roots go back to pre-Roman times, and the adjacent forest is said to be Britain's largest lowland pine forest – it's home to more than 200 species of tree.
The forest boasts mountain bike tracks, with many routes available, from three miles to more than 10, from leisurely to more strenuous.
A short drive away are the Neolithic flint mines Grimes Graves – 360 depressions in the Breckland heathland which are the infilled shafts of the mines dug some 4000 years ago by pre-historic man.
Highstreet names and independent shops and services offer a diverse shopping destination. So, whether you're shopping to update your wardrobe or just looking for unique gifts, make time to explore this ancient town.
Did you know?
Thomas Paine, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, was born in Thetford in 1737. His writings convinced many American colonists that the time had come to break free of British rule.
![Eastern Daily Press: These three traction engines - the one in the centre a Garrett, the other two made by Burrell, of Thetfod - chug slowly and quietly along in a 'tortoise race', the slowest winning, which was part of the East Anglian Traction Engine Club's Rally at Kilverstone, near Thetford. Picture: Archant Library[Note: The 1917 Garrett Engine (BJ7721) was used to pull guns on the battlefields of France during the first world war]](/resources/images/14681092.jpg?type=mds-article-620 "Eastern Daily Press: These three traction engines - the one in the centre a Garrett, the other two made by Burrell, of Thetfod - chug slowly and quietly along in a 'tortoise race', the slowest winning, which was part of the East Anglian Traction Engine Club's Rally at Kilverstone, near Thetford. Picture: Archant Library[Note: The 1917 Garrett Engine (BJ7721) was used to pull guns on the battlefields of France during the first world war]")
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