Thursford Wood

Lush green grass and trees overlooking a body of water with lots of water plants growing in it

Thursford Wood (credit: Richard Osbourne)

Bluebells along a woodland path on a sunny day

Thursford Wood (credit: Richard Osbourne)

Sun is shining on spring beech leaves at Thursford Woods

Spring beech leaves at Thursford Woods (credit: Richard Osbourne)

Thursford Wood

A rich array of wildlife thrives in this ancient woodland. Thursford Wood is home to some of the oldest oak trees in Norfolk, and a wonderful display of bluebells in spring.

Location

NWT Thursford Wood is located 5km north east of Fakenham. Leave Fakenham on the A148 road towards Cromer. Cross the river Stiffkey and up the small hill. The car park is on the left.

Entrance is from the car park. Caution – traffic is fast on this stretch of road.
NR21 0BB

OS Map Reference

TF 979 333

View on What3Words

A static map of Thursford Wood

Know before you go

Size
10 hectares
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Entry fee

Free
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Parking information

Small car park available

Walking trails

Circular footpath around the reserve. See map below for more details.

Reserve map

Access

Paths on this site are access grade 3. Please visit our Accessibility page for more information.

Dogs

No dogs permitted

When to visit

Opening times

Dawn till dusk, every day, all year round

Best time to visit

Spring and summer

About the reserve

It is thought that some of the oak trees in Thursford Wood could be more than 500 years old. The reserve has abundant woodland flowers and ferns, many are indicators that provide evidence of the wood’s ancient origins.  

As the path leads down towards the River Stiffkey, the woodland descends to the wetter terrain of alder carr, where golden-leaved saxifrage can be found between stands of flag iris. 

Take a spring walk here and you’ll be greeted by glorious carpets of bluebells. In autumn an impressive array of fungi can be found. Good numbers of common woodland birds breed here including the nuthatch, with woodcock occasionally present in winter.        

Contact us

Norfolk Wildlife Trust
Contact number: 01603 625540
Illustrated reserve map of Thursford Wood