This is our 'local' site, but it might as well be in a completely different part of the Country. Mid September, the site was pretty much full, but a sense of calm wafted over the place with nobody in a rush to go anywhere or do anything. So peaceful, so relaxing, so nice. The site wardens are both friendly but unobtrusive. Helpful and available but 'not in your face'. Perfect!
The site is clean, well kept without being manicured to within an inch of its life, letting wildlife get on with 'doing it's thing' quietly in the background. Brambles are left to grow without interfering with the spacious pitches so butterflies and squirrels do not shy away. Deer can be seen regularly on site in the early hours and the many and varied walks directly from the site can keep you busy for hours.
So the local American air bases were undertaking manoeuvres during our stay, but they were infrequent, with the V22-Osprey plane/helicopter hybrids skimming the trees for an our or so on a couple of nights, but not late into the night so as to disturb sleep unless you were very early to bed. I like to think of those people training to help protect us should things ever 'hit the fan' and they are also entertaining to watch. If you like that sort of thing, there are viewing areas at both Lakenheath and Mildenhall, a short drive away, where you can get up close and experience the power of fighter jets at take off. There are always lots of people there taking photo's when exercises are taking place but I don't know how they know when these are?
Swaffham is a short drive away with a decent Tesco and good Waitrose store along with a selection of local shops in the town centre. Brandon is likewise a short drive away in the opposite direction and, although not very pretty, it does have an Aldi and smaller Tesco plus a train station if you fancy a trip further afield.
Mundford Arboretum is just down the road on route to Brandon. Park up (free), cross back over the access road (very quiet) into the arboretum and enjoy short or long walks around the site with access out into the countryside if you want to go a bit further afield. A simple but entertaining dog agility area is also available and dogs can be off lead for much of the time, especially mid-week when it is much quieter. You can also walk the other way from the car park down to the lake and all around, but this does get busy at weekends.
So, pretty much our favourite site. Its a shame it closes during the winter as I am sure those of us who do not need shower blocks etc. would keep it busy, especially during these strange times. Oh, and social distancing was SO easy to maintain, including when booking in. The site is so spacious there really is no need to get up close to your neighbours for whatever reason, even at the bins and water areas. Nice!
