Cavenham–Icklingham Heaths

Royal Air Force Tuddenham or RAF Tuddenham is a former Royal Air Force station located 3.2 miles (5.1 km) south east of Mildenhall, Suffolk, England and 7.8 miles (12.6 km) north west of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

Rex Graham Reserve is a 2.8-hectare (6.9-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Mildenhall in Suffolk. It is a Special Area of Conservation, and part of the Breckland Special Protection Area. It was formerly managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. The site is a disused chalk pit, surrounded by woodland, and is primarily of interest for its population of Military Orchids, as over 95% of the United Kingdom population of this species occurs at this site. Other plants found at the site include mezereon, twayblade, pyramidal orchid, ploughman's spikenard (Inula conyza), and Southern adderstongue. The discovery of a population of Military Orchids at this site occurred in 1955. Prior to this the species had never been recorded in East Anglia, having previously been recorded only in Southeast England. The population then was at least 500 plants, with over 100 flowering spikes; by 1958 the population had reached 2,854 plants, with about 10% flowering, a population level and flowering proportion that were maintained throughout the 1960s. By 1971 however, only 252 plants were present, due to scrubbing over, as a result of the erection of the protective fence. Scrub clearance and removal of some surrounding trees allowed the population to recover, and subsequent counts include 1,115 plants in 1990 and "too many to count" (Harrap and Harrap 2005) in 2000, when 748 plants were recorded flowering. Genetic analysis of the orchids at Rex Graham has shown that they are distinct from those at the other two English sites, and represent an independent colonisation from Europe.

How Hill Track is a 3.1-hectare (7.7-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Mildenhall in Suffolk. It is in the Breckland Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.This is described by Natural England as a grassland site which provides suitable conditions for seven rare plants, including perennial knawel, small alison, purple-stem cat's tail and sickle medick.There is access to this site, which is now mainly woodland, from a footpath which runs along its southern edge.

Icklingham is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. It is located about 7 miles (11 km) north-west of Bury St Edmunds, 4 miles (6.4 km) south-east of Mildenhall and 9 miles (14 km) south-west of Thetford in Norfolk. The village is on the A1101 road between Bury St Edmunds and Mildenhall in the north-west of the county. The area around the village, characterised by a sandy gravel-laden soil, is known as Breckland, though an arm of the fen-like peat follows the River Lark past the village. The village straddles the River Lark, a tributary to the Great Ouse. It was once navigable up to Bury St Edmunds, with locks installed; these are now redundant, the remains of at least one lock being visible near Icklingham. The river is the reason for the siting of Icklingham's most prominent industry, the local flour mill. There are two churches in the village: St. James, and All Saints Church, Icklingham, which is of Norman in origin and a Grade I listed building.The village is characterised by flint and pale brick cottages. There were two thriving public houses, including the magnificent thatched Red Lion, in the village, but they both closed. However, in October 2019, the Red Lion was re-opened as the Guinness Arms. A village shop no longer exists, and the village hall, the former School House, is now in private hands. The village contains 11 listed buildings.

Tuddenham is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. In 2005 it had a population of 450. falling to 423 at the 2011 Census.

All Saints' Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Icklingham, Suffolk, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The church stands in the highest point in the village, adjacent to the A1101 road between Mildenhall and Bury St Edmunds. This was formerly the ancient trackway of Icknield Way, and Icklingham is close to an important junction on this trackway.

Cavenham is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England, 10 kilometres (6 mi) northwest of Bury St Edmunds. It is in the local government district of West Suffolk, and the electoral ward of Manor. At the 2021 UK census, Cavenham Parish had a population of 141. In the 1870s it had a population of 229.The parish includes Cavenham Heath, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with a sand and gravel quarry close to it and is the location of the Black Ditches, an Anglo-Saxon boundary ditch which is believed to be the most easterly of a series of early Anglo-Saxon defensive earthworks built across the Icknield Way. Part of this also forms an SSSI to the south-east of the village.

Deadman's Grave, Icklingham is a 127.3-hectare (315-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north-east of Icklingham in Suffolk. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, and part of Breckland Special Area of Conservation and Breckland Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.According to Natural England, this site "is largely covered by short, sheep-grazed, species-rich calcareous grassland of the very highest value." It has four nationally rare plants, Spanish catchfly, Boehmer's cat's-tail, Breckland Wild Thyme and spring speedwell. Nationally rare stone curlews breed there.A track called Seven Tree Road runs through the site.

Foxhole Heath is an 85.2 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Eriswell in Suffolk. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, and part of Breckland Special Area of Conservation and Breckland Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.The site is heathland and its vascular plant flora includes the following species: Slender Cudweed Filago minima, Shepherds Cress Teesdalia nudicaulis, Bird's-foot, Ornithopus perpusillus, Sand Sedge Carex arenaria, Purple Milk Vetch Astragalus danicus, Common Centaury Centaurium erythraea, Sheep's-bit Jasione montana and Larger Wild Thyme Thymus pulegioides. There are three nationally rare plants. It has a breeding population of the rare Stone-curlew, and this species also uses the site to gather prior to its autumn migration.The road verge along the south side is included in Suffolk County Council's protected road verges scheme.There is access from the B1112 road.

Barton Mills Valley is a 10.7 hectare Local Nature Reserve in Mildenhall in Suffolk. It is owned and managed by West Suffolk Council. The site is in Breckland Forest biological Site of Special Scientific Interest.This diverse site has reedbeds, alder carr, willow carr and sedge areas. There are picnic benches, a car park and disabled access.

Cherry Hill and The Gallops, Barton Mills is a 10.4-hectare (26-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Barton Mills in Suffolk. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 2.This site consists of road verges which have calcareous grassland with four nationally rare plants, and two locally uncommon ones, sand catchfly and yellow medick. There is also a strip of pine plantation which has several rare insects.There is public access to these roadside verges along stretches of Herringswell Road and Worlington Road.

Black Ditches is an earthwork close to the village of Cavenham of Suffolk, and part of it is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The earthwork is 4.5 miles long between the River Lark at Lackford and the Icknield Way. It is described by the Suffolk Historic Environment Record as having no direct dating evidence but "by analogy with other linear earthworks in the region it is usually assumed to be post Roman".Two sections of ditch remain visible, one to the north-east of the village and one to the south-east, covering a total of 4.5 miles (7.2 km). An 730 yards (670 m) stretch south of Cavenham is designated as an SSSI. Access to the Black Ditches is limited, with no public right of way.