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The Breckland as a landscape region is an unusual natural habitat of England. It comprises the gorse-covered sandy heath that lies mostly in the north of the county of Suffolk but also in the south of Norfolk. An area of considerable interest for its unusual flora and fauna, it lies to the south east of another unusual habitat, The Fens, and to the south west of The Broads. The typical tree of this area is the Scots Pine. The Brecks are one of the driest places in England. The area of Breckland has been substantially reduced in the twentieth century by the impact of modern farming and the creation in 1914 of Thetford Forest. However substantial areas have been preserved, not least by the presence of the British Army on the Stanford Battle Area. The Breckland is one of the few areas in England where the rare and shy (but non-indigenous) golden pheasant may be seen in the wild. During the Prehistoric period the Breckland was mined for flint, evidence for which can be found at Grimes Graves just outside the town of Thetford in Norfolk. The word 'Breck' is medieval and was defined as being an area of heathland broken up for cultivation before being allowed to retreat back into wilderness. Up until 200 years ago, much of it consisted of open heathland. The Brecklands today provide a tourist attraction as well as an area of scientific and geographical interest. The Breckland landscape region has given its name to Breckland District, a local government district that contains most of Norfolk's portion of the Breckland. Parts of Forest Heath District and St Edmundsbury Borough cover the Suffolk portion. The Great Eastern Pingo Trail is 8 miles of tracks and paths exploring the eastern edge of the Breckland area. The trail takes in the commons at the villages of Thompson and Stow Bedon, and heathland at Breckles and Great Hockham. Thompson Water, an artificial lake, and the woodland at Thompson Carr also form part of the walk. The name of the trail comes from the former Great Eastern Railway and the large number of collapsed pingos found in the area. The trail may be accessed as a detour from the Peddars Way long distance footpath. It is a Local Nature Reserve. ==References== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Breckland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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