Habitat type: Woodland and wet heath with a stream
Size of reserve: 5 hectares / 12 acres
OS Map number: 106
Grid reference: SW 880 663
Best time to visit: Summer
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Directions
From Mawgan Porth on the B3276, take the road to St Mawgan. Go past the first turning on the right to St Mawgan until you arrive at the five-lane crossroad. Take the second exit on the left and keep going until you reach the bridge and stream at the bottom of the hill. Access to the reserve is through a small woodland area on the left via a wooden gate about 20 m downstream from the bridge.
Access
Parking is very limited on the road near the bridge. There are no footpaths; the best route for visitors would be to follow the western bank of the stream, downstream from the gate. Underfoot, conditions are very wet and boggy and there are many fallen branches and protruding tree roots.
Characteristic wildlife of this reserve
The dormouse is a nocturnal species, spending most of its waking hours climbing among tree branches in search of food; fruit, insects, nuts, flowers and pollen. Dormice hibernate during the winter and can lower their body temperature to become torpid if there is a shortage of food or if bad weather stops them foraging, thus saving energy. Because of this ability, they may spend three quarters of their year 'asleep'. This is possibly why dormice in the wild also live much longer, up to five years longer than other small mammals.
The scarlet elf cup, an attractive and edible fungus, is found in great abundance throughout the woodland in winter, usually hosted by dead wood. The caps, which do indeed resemble dainty porcelain vessels, have very short stalks. As the cups develop they have a tendency to split at the edges, giving larger cups a rather ragged edge.
Other information
Lanvean Bottoms was gifted to the Trust in 1999 from Miss D Ball.
