The reserve consists of a thin strip of land on either side of a track leading down to King Arthur's Cave. The caves themselves are not part of the reserve. Access is straightforward, and the main track leads on beyond the reserve to link with both the Wye Valley Walk and other footpaths within Lord's Wood.

Description

The reserve forms part of the Upper Wye Gorge SSSI, designated in 1989. The Carboniferous Limestone, which underlies the reserve and is exposed as large crags to the east of the track, was extensively quarried in the past. By the early part of the 20th century, the area to the east of the access track was essentially an industrial site. A large limestone crusher stood by the side of the track below the parking area. Two buildings nearby, probably dating from the 1920-30s, housed the engine that powered the crushers before electricity was installed, together with a manager's office and canteen for the workmen. The crusher took limestone from a small adjoining quarry further down the track, and also from Lord's Wood Quarry nearby, now another Trust nature reserve. When quarrying ceased, the machinery was dismantled, but the foundations for the crusher still remain, together with the office building. There is also a thick bank of crushed lime on the west side of the track.

The long thin strip of woodland to the north-west of the track forms part of Lord's Wood, and therefore may also be of ancient origin. The canopy is dominated by a mix of Ash/Beech/Oak, with an understorey containing frequent Hazels, as well as Field Maple, Spurge Laurel, Hawthorn, Spindle, Guelder Rose, Whitebeam and Yew. The more open areas are dominated by Bramble with abundant Dog's Mercury. There is a good range of woodland herbs present, including Bluebells, Wood Spurge, Woodruff, Ramsons and Pendulous Sedge. Secondary woodland of Ash and Silver Birch has now developed through regeneration over the former industrial areas, so the entire site is now extensively wooded. This includes the rock exposures, which have become heavily shaded, and colonised by Ivy and shade-loving ferns, like Hart's Tongue, Common Spleenwort, and the very local Maidenhair Fern. The reserve attracts many of the more common woodland birds, and Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, and Marsh Tit are likely to be observed. In autumn, the reserve is well worth searching for fungi, like the strange black Cramp Balls Daldinia concentrica on Ash and Beech wood, while the slimy Porcelain fungus Oudemansiella mucida only grows on dead Beech trunks and branches. Devil’s Bolete grows on the reserve boundary.

Management is now largely confined to keeping the main access track open and clear of fallen trees and branches. There are plans to convert the old manager's office building into a hibernaculum and roosting area for bats.

Freehold bought in 1988 with generous assistance from Mr. J.C. Cadbury and a grant from the Nature Conservancy Council. King Arthur’s Cave is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural England in recognition of its importance for nature conservation.

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