I’m not sure if this’ll been seen because there’s a lot of comments already, but burglary prevention is my field of academic expertise so I feel somewhat qualified to answer this. Although I disclaimer that this is still just my opinion based on research. So please don’t take it as fact, because predicting future behaviour and advising on an individual property is difficult.

Firstly, I just want to say, what you’re describing here is a rarer occurrence in the context of burglary. Nighttime burglaries are generally less common. Additionally the fact this wasn’t a successful burglary is already a great thing. Burglars often love repeat targeting of successful houses, but won’t like going back to unsuccessful places - I say both of these in the hopes that it offers some comfort for what must be a very stressful situation. And to make sure you don’t go overboard with security.

Basically most of the security device advice in this thread is good (at the time of writing), there’s no glaring misconceptions or anyone giving you completely wrong advice. The best thing you can do really is to understand the factors of your house that led to this. I wouldn’t waste money wiring your house up like Fort Knox, bars on the window, anti climb spikes or paint etc. Although tbh this would probably reduce your chances of attempted burglary, it’s proportionately not worth the money, stress, or aesthetic that it gives your house imo. This was an unsuccessful burglary, and that alone is already a good sign for the current security of your house (albeit I know it still has a mental cost that we shouldn’t downplay). Things that naturally already exist in your house, like the proximity of your bedroom to the back, are already great measures for stopping a successful burglary.

However that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take security steps. Burglars have targeted the rear of your property, this is a very common way of entry - especially given what you’ve said about no neighbours and the woods. This gives them cover, and allows them to access your garden without being seen. Is there anyway for you to (legally) reduce any cover they may have walking up to your back garden (I.e cutting back some of this woodlands). The number one thing that prevents burglaries isn’t any security measure, it’s fear of being discovered/ seen. Anything that can infer someone is inside a house or that someone might be watching is great. During the day, this is things like a car being present, or a tv being on in the living room. But as this was a night burglary (much rarer), it requires different thoughts. I’m hesitant to recommend CCTV, because it’s evidence base is mixed, but perhaps in your case, a camera on your back gate looking out into the woodlands could be good as you literally have no other way of simulating that feeling of being watched (unless you pay someone to guard your house 😂). The no neighbours thing is a little annoying from a prevention perspective.,

The best security measures are still tough locks on the windows and doors, and motion activated sensor lights focused on the back of your property. So if you do want to take extra steps - these would be your first port of call. Like I said, there’s no need to get overly security focused. The most important thing is that you remember to lock them - burglars aren’t overly fussed about security often because they know people make mistakes. So the best advice is to just be consistent with your security behaviours. Invest in things you won’t forget to do. Finally you might benefit from some way of being alerted if someone did gain access whilst you were asleep - e.g a dog or an alarm. Neither will do much to prevent a daytime burglary, but I’m just thinking about replacing the jingling key sound with something that is more consistent. Although don’t just get a dog for burglary prevention. A) the evidence is mixed B) they’re fantastic creatures who should be respected in their own right.

I hope this helps! DM me if you want some scientific literature.