Hotels in Thetford

Thetford is a small Norfolk market town with a surprisingly deep history: it was once the seat of East Anglian kings and bishops, and the ruins of its Cluniac priory and the huge Norman earthwork of Castle Hill still hint at that importance. It is also the birthplace of Thomas Paine, whose gilded statue stands in the centre, and the base for filming *Dad's Army*, which is celebrated with a Captain Mainwaring statue and a small museum.

The bigger draw for most visitors is Thetford Forest, Britain's largest lowland pine forest, with cycling, walking trails and treetop activities around High Lodge. The town itself is no picture-postcard Norfolk, as post-war London overspill estates and a fairly ordinary high street dominate, and many people treat it as a base rather than a destination. Stay near the town centre and the River Little Ouse for walkable access to the historic sites, or on the forest edge if you're here mainly for the outdoors.