Penstave Copse

Penstave Copse is located on the southern edge of Dartmoor within the upper reaches of the Avon Valley to the north of the town of South Brent and the nearby hamlet of Aish. The site is enjoyed by many local people as it is close to South Brent and connected to the town by a public footpath. On acquisition in partnership with Dartmoor National Park Authority a short permissive link was negotiated with a neighbouring landowner. A circular walk is now provided and encounters all aspects of the site. There are fine views towards Dartmoor and the nearby Brent Hill and there is car parking for two cars by one of the entrances in a lay-by.The area is an intricate landscape of woodland improved and unimproved pasture extending up to the moor (1.5 km north). The site is a similar mixture of habitats formed from a series of grassland fields and woodland of ancient and secondary origin. Old boundary banks with occasional mature standards separate most of these areas. The site slopes downhill quite steeply in parts from a minor rural lane to the river Avon.