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Each month we turn our focus upon a different county, highlighting
some key ancient tree sites and identifying some other places of
general interest for tree-lovers. Other than Woodland Trust
properties, admission or parking charges apply for many sites, and
as access may be prohibited or limited to certain dates or times,
it’s always advisable to check with the site owner or with the local
Tourist Information Office before making a visit.
This month we turn our attention to one of England’s largest
counties, Devon, in the south-west of England. Here you’ll discover
granite tors and wide open moorland, rolling countryside and wooded
valleys, rivers and estuaries; and you’ll see quaint villages and
thatched cottages aplenty.
Dartmoor, known for its ponies of course, delivers a quite
wonderful, ever-changing landscape, the beauty of which is strangely
emphasised during both the worst and during the best of British
weather!
The towns provide unrivalled variety and interest. The county town
of Exeter was founded by the Romans and offers excellent shopping as
well as a majestic Norman Cathedral, impressive Georgian and
Medieval houses in the Cathedral Close, a 17th century customs house
and warehouse-lined quaysides.
Families frequent the seaside towns on the so-called English Riviera
of Torbay and Paignton, whilst the busy harbour and marina blend
with the lush cliff-side gardens, open bay and sea-front palm trees
in Torquay. Brixham and Dartmouth, with its 16th century merchants
houses, have a special appeal for seafarers, whilst to the east
Sidmouth offers a more relaxing location. The white houses and
tree-lined quay of Bideford provide an enchanting vista, whilst
cobbled streets and a harbour are amongst the attractions in the
picturesque village of Clovelly.
Other popular destinations include Dawlish and Exmouth on each side
of the Exe Estuary, Linmouth in the north (known in Victorian times
as Little Switzerland), Widecombe with its famous fair, the sands
and dunes of Instow on the banks of the River Torridge, and the busy
shopping centre of Barnstaple.
Walkers can delight in the 180 miles of the Tarka Trail, whilst
cyclists can join them in enjoying the scenery of 102-mile long
Devon Coast-to-Coast. Surfers ride the big Atlantic crests at Croyde,
Woolacombe and Westward Ho. Geologists on the other hand will revel
in Kents Cavern, one of the UK’s most important Palaeolithic caves,
dating back some 500,000 years. Check out the stalactites and
stalagmites! Tourist attractions include Babbacombe Model Village,
RHS Garden Rosemoor, Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway, Paignton
Zoo Environmental Park, Killerton House, Dartington Glass, Brixham
Heritage Museum, Dartmouth Castle and the National Trust’s Greenway
Estate (once home to Agatha Christie).
So, what about the county’s top locations for ancient trees and
treescapes? It’s often a good idea to check out first those
properties being cared for by the National Trust. Devon is no
exception, and here’s a selection of sites which provide plenty of
interest.
Arlington Court (SS6140) is an estate covering some 2,700
acres in the densely wooded valley of the River Yeo. At the heart of
the estate is a regency house, formerly owned by Rosalie Chichester
and known for its interesting collections of horse-drawn vehicles,
model ships, pewter, shells and tapestry. The cellar provides an
opportunity to see the county’s largest colony of Lesser Horseshoe
bats via a special camera. The grounds include 30 acres of garden,
whilst the parkland, which includes woodland, a lake and a heronry,
offers wonderful walks. As well as seeing Jacob sheep and Shetland
ponies, you may also spot one or two surviving ancient oaks.
Killerton House (SS9701) is the regional HQ of the National
Trust and was once home to the Acland Family. This splendid 18th
century house boasts a fine collection of costumes, a hillside
garden and a far-reaching estate. Renowned landscape-designer John
Veitch was responsible for creating the garden in the 1770s, and he
included a number of rare trees. A number of lovely circular walks
take in the 6,100-acre estate, which comprises some fine parkland
and woodland. As well as locating a discovery centre here, you may
well note a number of surviving ancient sweet chestnut and oak
trees. Be sure to visit nearby Ashclyst Forest (SY0099) too,
which is managed by the National Trust, and keep an eye out for
the ancient pollarded oaks there. This beautiful area was formerly
common pasture-woodland, and today it’s a popular location for
visitors, including a well-used scout camp. Indeed, the parish of
Broadclyst - which lies to the north-east of Exeter and at the heart
of the Killerton Estate - includes some wonderful countryside,
speckled with enchanting thatched cottages.
Other notable National Trust properties in the county include
Dunsland Park (SS5602), a 17th century deer-park, with several
fine ancient trees including pollarded oaks, lime and sweet chestnut
trees; Heddon Valley (SS6548), a wooded valley on the West
Exmoor Coast with a number of interesting woodland and coastal
walks; Knighthayes Court (SS9615), a Victorian country house
with specimen trees and attractive woodland walks in the surrounding
parkland; Bradley (SX4870), a small medieval manor house set
in parkland with woodland and meadows; the spectacular 30-metre high
White Lady waterfall at Lydford Gorge (SX5084), reached via a
circular walk through attractive oak woodland; Saltram (SX5255),
an impressive Georgian Mansion, which houses state rooms created by
Robert Adam and which is set in pretty gardens and rolling parkland,
where several ancient oaks are still standing; Whiddon Park
(SX7289), a 16th century deer-park providing a home to several
ancient oaks; and Greenway (SX8754), a superb woodland garden
with splendid views across the banks of the Dart Estuary.
The Woodland Trust also has a number of properties of note.
Designated semi-natural ancient woodland, both Buck’s & Keivell’s
Wood (SS3523) and Barton Wood (SS3423) were formerly
coppiced. They lie in the North Devon AONB and are now part of a
larger SSSI. This is mature oak woodland, some of which stands on
coastal slopes. Whitleigh Wood (SX4760) near Tamerton Foliot
is a designated Local Nature Reserve, as well as being semi-natural
ancient woodland. The ancient woodland site of Hardwick Wood
(SX5355) stands on a prominent hilltop on the edge of Plymouth.
This wood is associated with the Saltram Estate and provides a
splendid display of bluebells in the spring. Newton Wood (SX5448)
is in an area of semi-natural ancient woodland on the eastern bank
of the Yealm Estuary, within the South Devon AONB. Sessile oak
dominates here, and there are some fine views over the river.
Around 90% of Grey Park Wood (SX7272) near Ashburton is a
designated SSSI. This wood is part of a larger area known as the
Holne Woodlands, an area of sessile oak semi-natural ancient
woodland. A number of ancient woodland indicators are present here,
including tree lungwort, woodruff and sanicle. Avon Woods
(SX7349) near Kingsbridge comprises three woods (Woodleigh,
Titcombe and Bedlime) on a steep valley alongside the river Avon.
This is also designated semi-natural ancient woodland, as is
Hisley Wood (SX7780) near Lustleigh. Part of a larger SSSI
within Dartmoor National Park because of its lichen and fungi, this
wood stands on a hillside alongside the River Bovey. Almost adjacent
to this is Pullabrook Wood (SX7879), where records show that
sweet chestnut and sycamore were planted extensively in the late
19th century on the high ground along its southern edge. Shaptor
and Furzeleigh Woods (SX8179), to the north of Bovey Tracey,
provides an important feature in the Wray Valley along a popular
tourist route. This is a mixture of ancient and more recently
planted woodland, and if you manage the climb onto Shaptor Rock, the
views are quite breathtaking.
Let’s turn our attention now to the Devon Wildlife Trust. It owns or
manages several very interesting locations. Welcombe and Marsland
(SS2317) near Bude is a very large reserve on the border with
Cornwall, consisting of steep wooded valleys, woodland glades,
coastal heath, grassland and meadows. This is predominantly oak
woodland, whilst willow and alder flourish in the wetter areas. The
rare pearl-bordered fritillary is most notable among the many
butterflies here. Halsdon (SS5512) is a lovely valley of
deciduous woodland and pasture, incorporating the River Torridge,
Tarka’s home and still an important otter habitat. The mainly oak
woodland also includes two less common species of tree, the Devon
whitebeam and the wild service tree.
Warleigh Point (SX4461) near Plymouth is ancient sessile oak
woodland and is quite possibly the finest example of coastal oak
woodland in Devon. Several ancient sessile oak trees stand on the
edge of the reserve, and you’ll see both old and new coppiced areas.
Look for stands of sweet chestnut, spindle and silver birch, and for
the wild service tree too, in this woodland renowned for its spring
displays of bluebells. The rare butcher’s broom, wavy-leaved St
John’s wort and the short-winged cone-head cricket have all been
recorded here. The Dart Valley (SX6773, SX6872 & SX7070),
located near Ashburton and within the Holne Woodlands SSSI, is the
DWT’s largest reserve, covering more than 290 hectares of upland
moors and wooded valley. The woodland here is old coppiced oak
(sessile & pedunculate) with birch, rowan and holly. Keep a sharp
look-out on the woodland floor for the elusive blue ground beetle.
Lady’s Wood (SX6895) near South Brent provides a great
example of traditional coppice-with-standards woodland management.
Andrew’s Wood (SX7051) near Loddiswell was once known as
Stanton Moor and includes the ruins of the hamlet of Stanton. The
woodland is a mixture of oak, birch and sallow, and the wildlife
here includes the dormouse, a rare spider-eating wasp and
glow-worms. Look out too for the rare heath lobelia in the
grassland. Scanniclift Copse (SX8486), a small but
fascinating ancient coppice woodland, stands near Exeter. The
woodland mainly comprises oaks, some larger specimens having
survived for at least 300 years. Other trees were coppiced around
100 years ago. Look here too for the decaying stand of elm, for the
rare parasitic plant toothwort on the elms and hazels, and for the
rhinoceros beetle.
There are several privately owned estates in Devon, worthy of a
mention. Firstly, Clovelly Park (SS3025) is part of an estate
which incorporates the ancient fishing village of Clovelly. This
hamlet is mentioned in the Doomsday Book and is believed to have
been a Saxon settlement before that. The village is only accessible
by foot from the nearby visitor centre. Walks through the
surrounding woodland lead to exhilarating coastal walks and superb
views of the sea. Within the woodland – formerly a deer park – there
are some fine examples of ancient oak trees. Secondly, Powderham
Castle (SX9782), the medieval home of the Earl of Devon, stands
beside the Exe Estuary and is surrounded by some splendid grounds.
The castle is one of England’s best known stately homes and affords
panoramic views over the estuary. The 4,000 acre estate, which
includes the ancient deer-park and an 18th century woodland garden,
is now a popular venue for concerts, fayres and medieval
re-enactments. Thirdly, there’s Ugbrooke Park (SX8778), for
300 years home to the Cliffords of Chudleigh. In the 1760s Robert
Adam restyled the current house, which has been used since then as a
setting for several television programmes. The park – with lakes,
woodland and views across Dartmoor - was designed by Capability
Brown and still has many fine mature trees including Holm oak,
turkey oak and Spanish chestnut. Ancient trees including oak, ash,
sycamore and hawthorn can also be seen in the parkland. Lastly, but
by no means least, the former medieval deer-park at Woodend Park
(SY2497) near Shute boasts over 100 standing ancient oak
pollards, plus ancient specimens of ash, lime, sweet chestnut and
field maple.
Elsewhere, you’ll find a large number of old oaks at Phear Park
(SY0081) near Exmouth, owned by East Devon District Council,
whilst the privately owned Bishop’s Court Palace (SX9891) at
Clyst St Mary provides a home to a small number of ancient oaks.
English Nature manages four noteworthy National Nature Reserves in
Devon. Firstly, Black-a-Tor Copse (SX5691) is a small upland
area of oak woodland surrounded by moorland, close to Meldon.
Secondly, East Dartmoor Woods and Heaths, near Bovey Tracey,
comprises three adjacent reserves (Yarner Wood, Trendlebere Down and
Bovey Valley Woodlands). It is internationally important simply
because of the fact that it is western oak woodland. The River Bovey
runs through here too, and there are remnants of copper mines, a
tramway and a pottery. As you venture along the Yarner Wood Nature
Trails you should be able to spot the ancient holly thickets and
several beech trees dating back over 150 years. Thirdly, there’s
another small upland area of oak woodland, Wistman’s Wood in
Dartmoor, which is designated as an Environmentally Sensitive Area.
Lastly, there’s oak and beech woodland at Dendles Wood, near
Cornwood, which was formerly coppiced woodland pasture and is now
accessible by permit only.
Finally, check out some of these Devon sites, managed by Forest
Enterprise. Blackdown Hills (ST2715) near Corfe, which
includes the Forest of Neroche (once a hunting forest) and Prior’s
Park (now a butterfly conservation area), is a designated AONB and
includes more than one SSSI. Another Butterfly Conservation Reserve
is Lydford (SX4985) with fabulous views down the Lyd Valley
and over Dartmoor. Cann Woods (SX5459) lies in the valley of
the River Plym near Plympton, whilst Abbeyford (SX5897)
stands on the edge of Okehampton. Haldon Forest (SX8884),
well known for its six species of birds of prey and almost
black-coloured fallow deer, lies along the top of Haldon ridge.
Stoke Woods (SX9195), where sightings of glow-worms have been
reported, is located close to the city of Exeter. Mamhead (SX9280)
near Haldon has an all-ability woodland trail and a super viewpoint
overlooking the Exe Estuary, whilst East Hill (SY1191) is
situated near Ottery St Mary. Offwell (SY1899), where
kingfishers breed and the Ruddy Darter dragonfly is found, comprises
a lake, ponds, heathland and mixed woodland.
If you know of other ancient trees in Devon or if you wish to
suggest a site for inclusion in next month’s article, Focus on
Shropshire, we’d love to hear from you!
Please
email us,
providing as much information as possible and preferably including
an Ordnance Survey map reference. We’re also very keen to build up a
library of photographs of ancient trees and ancient tree sites. Can
you help? If you’re willing to share your treescapes and tree
portraits, please
email them
to us, remembering to provide location details for each photo, with
an Ordnance Survey map reference if possible. We’d love to include
them in a future article! |
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