About the reserve

This remote and tranquil reserve comprises woodland, nesting within an area of pasture and orchard. Designated as a SSSI for its ghyll habitat and associated species - a rare habitat in the south east. The wood is mixed with a fairly sparse understorey due to its dense canopy. However, coppicing has recently taken place to open up the canopy and allow the understorey to develop and flourish. In the spring, the wood teems with bluebell, primrose and golden saxifrage. Within the steep wooded valleys, humid conditions are idea foor mosses, liverworts and many species of fern, including the hay-scented buckler-fern. Most of the common woodland birds have been recorded here, including woodcock, green woodpecker, treecreeper, nuthatch and little owl.