3.5/5)This ancient semi-natural broadleaf woodland provides the ideal habitat for a huge variety of wildlife species, and is the ideal spot for a great family day out with play, trails and orienteering.
Wonder through the woods on a variety of paths and pay a visit to the newly opened Upper Woodhead area.
The site is home to a rich diversity of wildlife including skylarks, meadow pipits, woodpeckers and kestrels. Carpets of Bluebells can be seen in the spring.
You can try the orienteering course or take a gentle walk along the Health Walk route and at the end the kids can play on the Natural Play area.
What do other visitors say?
Lula, 19/May/20173 Stars
I was horrified to find such wide-spread and particularly messy deforestation of several tree species. This woodland is mainly untouched since medieval times and important still in today's community. What and why is going on!!
The state of the woodland floor is appalling, 3 foot deep tire tracks a wash with severed stumps. Try telling me all this disruption is good for the thousands of ecosystems demolished.
Forestry Commission ResponseWe are currently carrying out a thinning operation at Wombwell Woods, which is part of our sustainable forest management programme. Thinning is a common silvicultural technique which removes a proportion of the poorer tree specimens, thereby giving the remaining trees space, light and nutrients to grow on. It provides a source of timber which helps to pay for the other activities in the wood, such as car park and path maintenance, and also benefits wildlife by altering the structure of the forest, allowing more light to reach the forest floor, and providing dead wood habitat for a wide variety of invertebrates and fungi. It is widely accepted that managed forests and woodlands support more wildlife diversity, including birds, than unmanaged or undermanaged woodlands. any necessary remedial work will be carried out on extraction routes when the work is finished, and the severed stumps will form a habitat for a range of woodland flora and fauna.
Kay Beard, 18/Apr/2017Good afternoon
Whilst I understand that woods need to be maintained, I was quite upset to see the most beautiful part of Wombwell Wood, which should at this point be full of bluebells, looking quite devastated following tree felling. No clearing of smaller branches and twigs has taken place, so much of the wood is inaccessible. The machine tracks plough through glades of bluebells. Shouldn't a more ecologically sound method ie small machines or even horses, have been used? It looks as though it will take years to recover.
Rodrigo Pandia Borrero , 17/Apr/20171 Star
I wonder to know why they are cutting off all the trees when what is needed a better maintenance the place is crying for help boys in motorbikes everywhere and rubbish the dirty people tipped all over the place...
Forestry Commission ResponseThe thinning which has taken place is a standard silvicultural operation. The removal of some trees will benefit the ecology of the area by allowing more light through the canopy, so that in subsequent years the ground flora, including bluebells, will thrive. Smaller branches and twigs are left to rot down as part of the natural cycle to provide dead wood habitat and nutrients for the remaining trees. It would not be economically viable to use much smaller machines or horse extraction in this type of operation, however all paths throughout the area have remained open, and the ground damage has been kept to a minimum. The income obtained from timber harvesting contributes to the continuing maintenance of the woodland, paths and car park as a community asset at Wombwell Woods.
Please tell us about your visit
Please email us at sherwood.fdo@forestry.gsi.gov.uk if you have an enquiry, a complaint or would like a personal reply to your comments.