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Ancient woodland
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Wakerley Wood is an historic, ancient woodland.
The woods has a
permanent orienteering course, an all-ability woodland path, and a longer waymarked
trail leaving from the car park. The woodland also contains rich and diverse archaeological
remains. | Mature
Oak tree.
Photo - Forestry Commission. |
The
oldest features of the forest are two extremely rare Bronze Age cairns.
The
waymarked walk follows the medieval boundary of Wakerley Great Park, remnants
of the 13th Century deer park. The wood is gradually being reverted to
native broadleaf woodland under the Ancient Woodland Project. Ancient habitats
 The
forest boasts ancient semi-natural woodland, with larch stands, oak, ash and birch
scrub woodland.
There is also a stand of ancient Scot's pine and a hazel
coppice understorey beneath the oak trees. These ancient glades are home
to a rich diversity of mammals, reptiles and birds.
There
are polecats in Wakerley, together with mammals such as foxes, rabbits and grey squirrels.
If lucky, visitors may also see fallow deer, muntjac deer and badgers.
Crossbill, siskin and redpoll are
regular visitors, depending on the time of year.
Buzzards also nest in
the woods, together with tawny
owls which can be heard hooting at night.
Visitors may also discern the distinctive sound of
the grasshopper warbler during the summer months.
 Adders,
grass snakes and slowworms inhabit the wood.
Also look out for butterflies including the white
admiral, red admiral, small copper, speckled wood and painted lady amongst the
grassy glades.
Photo credits
 Images
of flora, fauna and location courtesy and copyright of The Forestry Commission.
Adders
dancing photo taken by Malcolm Gallimore. | 
