Grimes Graves, Thetford

For a small child Grimes Graves has everything, an interactive museum and perhaps more importantly a big ladder which you have to don a hard hat for whilst you climb down into the prehistoric mineshaft carved out of the chalk. When you are at the bottom you an peer through shafts which were carved out by prehistoric man using antler picks. Its another memorable experience. well worth a visit

I visited Grime's Graves with my seven year old daughter recently having learnt about the attraction via Brandon Heritage Centre. I was a little bit apprehensive about descending 30 feet into a flint mine with a youngster in tow, but as it turned out there was nothing to worry about. After visiting the nearby visiting centre we went into a little room where we were met by a very friendly lady who instructed us on how to safely navigate the vertical ladder to the mine 30 feet below. I felt very safe going down the steps as the ladder is extremely secure and there is a sort of cage to stop you falling backwards. It only took a couple of minutes to reach the bottom where to my great surprise I found it wasn't dark or claustrophobic at all. The mines are actually made of chalk with large pieces of flint embedded in the walls. The chalk walls and the bright lighting helped to alleviate any feelings of claustrophobia although I'm sure it would have been much harder for neolithic man to find his way around. The tunnels are very low and narrow, so navigating must have been incredibly difficult in those days. Back at ground level the surrounding landscape is particularly lovely with its pine trees, whilst picnic tables are provided for you to enjoy a snack on a summer's day. The only thing I'd say is the flint mine visit is very short so you might want to visit some other attractions while you're in the area. Bury St Edmunds and Thetford aren't far away, so you could do the flint mine in the morning and the Dad's Army Museum at Thetford in the afternoon.