Habitat type: Woodland and wetland
Size of Reserve: 77ha (190 acres)
OS Map No. 107
Grid reference: SX 129 652 (main entrance by sawmill)
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.
From the A38, 3 miles (5 km) east of Bodmin, take the turning
towards Cardinham (next to White Lodge). Cross the bridge over the
River Fowey, and access is via the first track on the right.
Access:
Parking is opposite the sawmill. The trail is good underfoot,
but can be wet and slippery, and there are steep inclines.
Classification
General description:
Situated in the Glyn Valley, this is one of the largest, and possibly
finest, ancient woodlands in Cornwall and boasts an extensive area
of mixed woodland with ancient oak and hazel coppice as well as
river and wetland belts. Archaeological remains add interest to
a beautiful environment.
Characteristic wildlife of this reserve:
The dormouse needs a varied habitat to provide its food throughout
the summer. Coppice management of woodlands, as practised by the
Trust, helps to create a suitable environment.
The pied flycatcher is a summer visitor. The male’s plumage
is distinctive, with black upperparts, white underparts and a bold
white band across the black wings. The female is brown and white
in similar markings as the male. This species prefers to nest in
oakwoods using tree holes and nest-boxes, from where the birds catch
their food in the tree canopy above.
The blue ground beetle is a rare species restricted to Cornwall
and Devon and occurs in just half-a-dozen locations around Dartmoor
and Bodmin Moor. The beetle’s favoured habitat is moist, bare
ground under deciduous tree cover and it is typically found in ancient
pasture woodlands. It is a nocturnal animal, climbing trees to locate
its prey - slugs, snails and caterpillars. Its larva is also a predator
that feeds on slugs.
Other information:
The site contains the remains of a mine, where bats roost. Its
small adit is the main water source for the nearby pond, which gives
a rare opportunity in a woodland habitat for amphibians to live
and breed.
The reserve was purchased in 1997 with a grant from the Heritage
Lottery Fund matched by generous donations from the Trust's Habitat
Appeal.
This information leaflet, about Cabilla and Redrice Woods
nature reserve, plus other Cornwall Wildlife Trust nature reserve
leaflets, are now available. Click
here for more information ...
