
Have you ever wondered how old Needham Lake is, where the material
came from to build the A14, what holds together our houses and
schools or where you can find a County Wildlife Site, Local Nature
Reserve or Regionally Important Geological Site? Well, read on to
find out how aggregates and their extraction can help to answer
these questions and many more.
The Aggregates Trail is a walk through the Gipping Valley
between Needham Market and Barham (in either direction) and
explores not only the aggregates industry, but also the geology,
history, wildlife and future of the area. There are five
information boards along the trail, which can be read alone, or
pick up a leaflet to guide you along the trail to all five.
The Discovery Project has put
together the Aggregates Trail, with support from Mid Suffolk
District Council’s Countryside Team and staff and volunteers from
Suffolk County Council's Countryside Service. This is in addition
to a great deal of invaluable input from local individuals and
organisations, as well as individuals abroad!
Interpretation boards, leaflets and educational resources have
been written for the trail and are now available. Trail leaflets
can be found in the Information Rooms at Needham Lake
and Barham Picnic Site and are available from Mid Suffolk
District Council Offices and local outlets. They are free of
charge. Educational resources are available by contacting the
Discovery Project Officer or Countryside Officer at Mid Suffolk
DC.
Download
Gravel
Unravelled (PDF,
1.1Mb) - the trail map and
information about the Aggregates Trail.




This project has been made possible thanks to the support of
Natural England (external
site), through Defra’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund
- a levy on aggregate extraction,introduced in 2002. This aims
to reduce the demand for primary aggregates, address environmental
issues and compensate communities for the impacts of aggregate
extraction.