About our reserves

Herefordshire is often described as England's most rural county, with a rich mosaic landscape of small fields, ancient hedgerows and wooded hills. From the Black Mountains in the west to the Malvern Hills in the east and the majestic sweep of the Wye Valley, the county embodies the finer characteristics of a rapidly vanishing traditional landscape.

We have over 50 nature reserves across the county, representing some of the finest wildlife sites in the county.

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Why do we need nature reserves?

Many of our natural habitats and the wildlife they support are under great pressure from mans activities; intensive farming, industry, new roads and housing. For example Herefordshire has lost 69% of its species-rich grassland over the last 20 years.

Our nature reserves are a vital part of the county's natural heritage. They are home to some our rarest and most spectacular wildlife, including otters, dormice, pearl-bordered fritillary and wood white butterflies and many species of orchid.

The Trust is working to conserve and manage these reserves for the benefit of wildlife and for the enjoyment of visitors.

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Restoring the balance

As well as conserving habitats we are also working to restore damaged grasslands, hedgerows, woods, orchards and wetlands. Fine examples of grassland restoration can be seen at Crow Wood and Purland Chase reserves.

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History of HNT Reserves

During the 40 years since the founding of the Trust in 1962, over 50 nature reserves have been either acquired or been taken into management. Out of this total, 29 have been directly purchased by the Trust, using funds provided by private individuals, as well as monies from grant aid bodies, e.g. Heritage Lottery Fund, World Wildlife Fund and Herefordshire Conservation Development Trust. A further 17 reserves, totalling over 50 hectares, have been acquired as the result of a legacy bequest or outright gift. Four reserves (Davies Meadows, Holywell Dingle, Lea & Pagets Wood and Whitbourne Glebe) are leased in part or as a whole, while a number of forest sites are managed by HNT by agreement with the Forestry Commission (at Haugh Wood and Queenswood). 21 reserves are designated SSSI by Natural England.

Our oldest reserve is Woodside on the Great Doward, which was purchased in 1966. Most reserve acquisitions took place in the next two decades, with a maximum of 16 new sites acquired during the 1980's. From 1995, the Trust’s policy has switched to acquiring larger areas and extensions to existing reserves; large areas are inherently more stable, easier to manage and more cost effective than small reserves, although the Trust will always be interested in ‘conservation gems’.

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A walk on the wild side

You can explore ancient beech and oak woods, flower-rich limestone grasslands, or wander through traditionally managed riverside meadows.

Most of our reserves are open all year round; a few of the more sensitive or inaccessible sites have restricted access. Permits are available from the Trust Headquarters at Lower House Farm. The following reserves have restricted access:

~ Lords Wood Quarry
~ Lower Lugg Meadow
~ The Mount Wood
~ Rhydspence Woodland
~ Upper Welson Marsh
~ Parts of the Queens Wood reserves

We are working to improve access by installing new kissing gates and stiles, bridges and paths and by producing new signs, guides and leaflets. If you encounter any difficulties when on a reserve please give us a call.

Click here for public transport details.

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Vital statistics

We own and manages 54 nature reserves.
The total area covers 290 hectares (716 acres), including:
- 98 hectares of woodland (63 ha of ancient semi-natural woodland, 34 ha of secondary woodland and plantation)
- 166 hectares of grassland
- 1.7 hectares of marshland
- 7.7 hectares of open water
- 3.6 hectares of orchard
We own 16 Sites of Special Scientific Interest and manage a further 5.
Our largest reserve is Lugg Meadow (36 hectares or 89 acres).
Our smallest reserve is Kingsway (0.2 hectares or 0.5 acres).
Our first reserve was Woodside at Great Doward (1966).
Our latest reserve is Sturts North (SSSI), a 24ha (60 acre) extension to The Sturts (2004).

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Visitors Code

Please remember the following points when visiting the reserves:

Keep to paths and waymarked trails as far as possible.
No collecting is permitted.
Please keep dogs under control at all times. Where stock are present please keep dogs on a lead.
Please close gates after use.
If driving to reserves, please use the parking places as suggested on the reserve maps. Always park with due consideration for other road users.
Please notify us if you see anything interesting or unusual.

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Funding our reserves

We receive funding for our reserves from a wide variety of sources. We would like to acknowledge the financial support of the following:

Heritage Lottery Fund, European Union Objective II, Mercia Environmental Fund, Onyx Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, Natural Englands Reserves Enhancement Scheme, DEFRA's Countryside Stewardship Scheme, The Countryside Agency's Rural Recovery Fund, Empowering Enterprise in Local communities Fund, The Leadership Trust and many other private individual donations.

The development of this site has been assisted by Heritage Lottery Fund, Advantage West Midlands and the European Union (5b and Objective II funding):

» For more information on Nature Reserves please contact either Neville Hart or Sue Holland.

» Click here for more information on volunteering.