Aisholt Wood

Close up of oak leaves and acorns by Rob Wolton

Oak leaves and acorns - Rob Wolton

Ancient oak woodland on the Quantock Hills rich in wild flowers in spring and early summer with a stream flowing along the valley bottom. A mini wilderness experience with the woodland floor carpeted with fallen tress and branches; this is what a natural woodland really looks like.

Location

Aisholt Wood,
Aisholt
near West Bagborough

OS Map Reference

ST 196 362
A static map of Aisholt Wood

Know before you go

Size
17 hectares
P

Parking information

Limited parking in roadside layby at ST 199 362 at the start of the single track road leading to Aisholt. Then on foot for 250 metres along bridleway to reserve entrance at ST 196 360.

Grazing animals

No

Access

Open access

Dogs

On a lead

Visit the 'Dog walking on reserves' page in the Contact section for more information.

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

April to July, September to November

About the reserve

The woodland floor here is thick with fallen trees, branches and twigs providing many places for mosses, liverworts, lichens and fungi to grow, and woodland insects to burrow in rotting wood.

On steep slopes and with a stream running along the valley bottom this reserve has huge amounts of atmosphere at any time of year but perhaps spring is the best time to visit when Wild Garlic and Bluebells can cover much of the forest floor and Early Purple Orchids grow alongside the paths. Mosses carpet the sides of the deep tracks and the bases of many trees.

This wood is a wonderful example of the wildlife diversity that will accumulate if a woodland is given a chance develop in a natural way. The deep leaf litter, branches and twigs carpeting the woodland floor making it hard to get about for us humans but a wonderful refuge for the mice, voles, woodland insects and  dead wood fungi that make this place their home.

Visit in spring when the fronds of many types of ferns are unfolding in a truly prehistoric way and the wood echoes with calls of Nuthatch and Greater Spotted Woodpecker. In winter this is a favourite feeding place for Redwings and Fieldfares. Buzzards often circle overhead here.

Contact us

Somerset Wildlife Trust
Contact number: 01823 652400

Aisholt Wood documents