Armstrong Wood nature reserve

Habitat type: Woodland, grassland and wetland Size of Reserve: 9ha (22 acres) OS Map No. 108 Grid reference SX 320 773 (entrance gate) Best time to visit: Summer - for butterflies and flowers
Cornwall Wildlife Trust encourages the use of environmentally friendly forms of transport wherever possible. Click on the locator map above to go to the National Cycle Network website and view an Ordnance Survey map of this reserve highlighting nearby cycle routes.

Directions:

Armstrong Wood lies south of the village of Trebullett and the town of Launceston. At Cuddycombe, 5 miles (8km) south of Launceston on the A388, take the turning for Trebullett. At the crossroads in Trebullett, turn left for Lower Trebullett. Access is via a track on the right, at the bottom of the hill by Pear Tree Farm.

Access:

Restricted to members of Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Please contact the Trust before visiting this reserve. Small parking area only; waymarked circular trail (approx ¾ hour walk) with some steep inclines; tracks can be muddy.

Classification

Description:

The wood consists primarily of oak, some of which has been coppiced in the past, and charcoal-burning platforms can still be recognised. The meadows are managed as traditional hay meadows and, in the summer, are alive with colourful flowers and insects. This is a great place for a picnic.

Characteristic wildlife of this reserve:

The silver-washed fritillary is the largest of this family of butterflies to be found in Cornwall. It is typically found in July and August in the sunlit glades of old oakwoods, either gliding strongly in flight or feeding on brambles and thistles.

Otters are known to use the river and leats.

Dormice inhabit the hazel coppice and spend most of their lives in the trees except when they come to ground to hibernate.

Other information:

The reserve, which lies alongside the River Inney, was donated to the Trust by the Armstrong-Evans family in 1990.

The reserve has an interesting agricultural history - some of the fields were part of a medieval strip-derived system and, in the 19th century, these fields were used as market gardens.

There is an 18th century (or older) cowhouse with stalling at both ends and a central cartshed or root store. Its roof has an unusual configuration and there is a peculiar trapezoidal vent window in the western gable.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust Nature Reserves

List of reserves ... Armstrong Woods Bakers Pit Beales Meadow Bissoe Valley Bosvenning Common Cabilla and Redrice Woods Caer Brân Carn Moor Chûn Downs Churchtown Farm Chyverton Devichoys Wood Downhill Meadow Fal-Ruan Estuary Five Acres Fox Corner Greena Moor Halbullock Hawkes Wood Helman Tor Kemyel Crease Kennall Vale Lanvean Bottoms Loggan's Moor Loveny Lower Lewdon Luckett Maer Lake Nansmellyn Marsh North Predannack Downs Park Hoskyn Pendarves Wood Penlee Battery Phillips's Point Priddacombe Downs Prideaux Wood Quoit Heathland Redlake Cottage Meadows Ropehaven Cliffs Rosenannon Downs St Erth Pits St George's Island Swanvale Sylvia's Meadow Tamar Estuary Tincombe Trebarwith Tresayes Tywardreath Marsh Upton Meadow Upton Towans Ventongimps Moor Welcombe & Marsland Windmill Farm

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