Brandon Country Park

Brandon Country Park sits in the heart of Breckland on the Norfolk-Suffolk border, a landscape of Corsican and Scots pine, sandy heath and a walled Georgian arboretum around an ornamental lake. It is quiet, flat and open in places, which makes it attractive for practice flights and woodland-edge photography, and the tall pine belts give a distinctly continental feel that is rare in lowland England. The park is managed by West Suffolk Council; drones are tolerated in the open areas rather than expressly encouraged, so read the current signage and keep clear of the busy car park, cafe and family trails. The overriding consideration here is airspace: RAF Lakenheath, one of the busiest USAF bases in Europe, lies only about five to six kilometres to the south-west, and its flight restriction zone is large. You must confirm on a current app that your exact launch point is outside the FRZ before every single flight, and be ready for low, fast military jets that appear with little warning - if in doubt, do not fly. Ground-nesting Breckland birds are sensitive in spring. Choose a weekday morning, launch from the open grass near the arboretum, keep flights low and brief, and you have an unusual inland spot with real character.