By KYLE ALVAREZ | Stars and Stripes | Published: March 11, 2021 A 15-minute drive from Lakenheath and slightly longer from Mildenhall lies a 30-acre oasis from the daily grind. Brandon Country Park offers visitors miles of heathland and forests, fresh air, hiking and biking trails, glimpses of unique wildlife, trees you don’t expect to see in England, a walled garden, historic buildings — even a rumored ghost. It has strong ties to the military, not just through its proximity to the two U.S. air bases at Mildenhall and Lakenheath, but going back to its inception in the 19th century. Brandon, the town that gives the park its name, once produced most of the flint used by the army of the British empire. Local businessman Edward Bliss made his fortune selling gunflint to the army during the Napoleonic Wars, which lasted from May 1803 until November 1815.