| We are pleased to announce Halbullock Moor Nature Reserve has re-opened to the public following the creation of a new, safer entrance along the south western boundary. However the site is very wet in places so please enter at your own risk, wellington boots are recommended. Progress is being made towards the provision of a replacement boardwalk. |
Habitat type: Woodland with coppiced ride
Size of reserve: 4 hectares / 10 acres
OS map number: 104
Grid Reference: SW 795 444 (SW entrance off Mount Pleasant Road)
Best time to visit: All year
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Directions
Take the turning for Richard Lander School, bypass the main entrance and head for the services entrance, then turn right down the hill and the reserve is on the left at the bottom - this is a dead end road. We recommend that you do not drive to the reserve entrance as vehicular access is very limited. Alternatively the reserve can be accessed via a footpath running along the south eastern boundary of the Gloweth estate. From the A390, turn down Chyvelah Vale past Truro College, turn right onto Kinglsey Close (restricted parking), cross an area of green space with a large oak tree, turn left on the path and follow it until you see the reserve entrance on your right.
Access
With the boardwalk absent access is difficult and boggy, however it is possible to walk through the reserve from one entrance to the other.
Characteristic wildlife of this reserve
The willow warbler has one of the purest songs in the bird world, a melodic ripple, and this can be heard persistently in the breeding season. This is a tiny bird that migrates from northern Eurasia to Africa. It is a common visitor to Britain and can be found in woodland and shrub. Both male and female are greyish brown-green above and yellowish-white on throat and breast. Willow warblers feed on insects and breed in ground-based dome-shaped nests lined with roots and feathers.
The small, creeping Cornish moneywort has a strong population here, liking damp places by streams. The delicate white flowers, only one or two millimetres wide, are dwarfed by the umbrella-like green leaves on their long stems.
Other information
The area has been used for grazing since ancient times and there are signs of a medieval field system within the reserve.
Active management is often required to maintain the wildlife conservation importance of an area. A woodland ride, a linear strip, is kept open in the woodland by coppicing on a five year rotation (two blocks per year). This increases the diversity of habitats within the reserve and is particularly useful to butterflies.
