Aldouran Glen - Leswalt, nr Stranraer

Site Description

Aldouran Glen wood is located on the west coast of Scotland, on the Rhins of Galloway approximately 6km north west of Stranraer. Situated in a valley to the north of the B7043, the wood lies between the village of Leswalt (approximately 1/2km to the north-east) and Lochnaw (approximately 1km to the west). It has a predominantly eastern aspect. The altitude of the wood ranges from 40m above sea level in the south-east of the wood to 90m a.s.l. by the car park in the west.

The wood occupies the upper, flatter terraces as well as the steep slopes of Aldouran glen. The glen contains a small tributary to the Sole Burn, which runs west to east through the middle of the wood. The wood is also drained by means of several distinct, steep watercourses that flow from the higher land to the south and west into the burn. The area is underlain mainly by sediments of Ordovician and Silurian age, which give rise to brown earths, with some gleying. Soils in the wood are mainly complexes of brown earths and gleys, but have also been influenced by later drift deposits. Ground vegetation suggests that soils range from moderately acid to neutral/slightly base rich over lower slopes, the valley floor and wet flushes associated with surface drainage from land to the south and west. Along the valley floor, soils are poorly draining. The MLURI climate map identifies the area as warm lowland, being exposed with extremely mild winters.

Most of the glen woodland is classified as ancient woodland or ancient semi-natural woodland (ASNW). North Aldouran Wood (the northern arm) is of more recent origin, although a part is classified as being Long Established Woodland of Plantation Origin (LEPO) and is thus included in the Ancient woodland inventory. Much of the woodland has retained its characteristic ground flora, despite the planting of exotic broadleaves and conifers over the years. The woodland now contains a good mixture of old and mature broadleaves, dominated by sycamore and beech, but with a proportion of ash and elm. There are also occasional oak, cherry and sweet chestnut trees, as well as a few exotic conifers including Norway and Sitka spruce and Western hemlock. There is frequent regeneration of sycamore seedlings as well as occasional beech, but only few groups of more advanced regeneration. The upper, flatter terraces, such as the top slopes along the track to Glenhead Farm and North Aldouran Wood are now planted with mixed native broadleaves. There are occasional groups of suppressed conifers, previously planted in gaps in the broadleaf canopy along the valley floor and scattered through the rest of the woodland. A continuing, phased programme of rhododendron control was implemented in 2001 with much of the rhododendron along the north-facing slope adjacent to the B7043 and individual groups along the burn side now having been removed. Rhododendron remains the main under storey species with frequent thickets still occupying a proportion of the woodland, both along the valley floor and on the slopes. Where gaps in the canopy allow, there is occasional holly, elder, rowan, elm and hazel regeneration scattered through the broadleaved area along with juvenile sycamore trees.

The ground flora is at its most colourful in May, when the wood is carpeted with bluebells and ferns, greater woodrush and ramsons. Greater woodrush, bluebells, male fern and lady fern dominate upper and drier slopes. Wild garlic, dog’s mercury and other associated species spread along the valley floor and wetter slopes of northerly aspect. Other commonly found species include lesser celandine, wood sorrel, wood anemone, wood avens, dog violet, enchanter’s-nightshade, agrimony, wood ruff, hedge woundwort, golden saxifrage and the relatively rare muscatel. The shrub layer features honeysuckle, wild raspberry and bramble. Wetland and common meadow and hedgerow plants occur around boundaries and in wet hollows. Where there is sufficient light, bluebells and ferns grow strongly within and around the margins of conifer areas. Mature trees, veteran trees and deadwood habitats support a range of mosses, including mouse-tail, forest star and Hypnum species on the tree trunks, as well as liverworts and lichens, some of which are relatively uncommon.

The burn running through the glen provides an aquatic/ riparian habitat, which is heavily shaded in parts by dense conifer stands along the valley floor. It is thought that the burn may have at one time supported otter, hence the name Aldouran Glen - 'Glen of the Otter'.

Numerous bird species inhabit and visit Aldouran Glen wood, including wrens, long-tailed tits, coal tits, robins, treecreepers and chaffinches.

Dragonflies have been observed in more open, sunny clearings.

Known mammals to frequent the wood include roe deer and the common shrew. There is a recently disused badger sett flanking the north eastern slope of the glen.

Other Features

Compartment 2b contains a small quarry, opened up during the harvesting in 2001, with a 30ft high cliff at one point and a wet swampy interior.

In the centre of the wood, the earthworks of an iron-age hill fort 'Kemps Grave' (probably dating from 500BC to 300AD) occupy a promontory overlooking the glen from the north.

The neighbouring village of Leswalt derives its name from the Gaelic and means ‘fort in a green place’, which may refer to the iron-age fort within the wood.

The presence of many non native trees and extensive rhododendron and laurel suggest that the glen was extensively landscaped at some point in its recent history, perhaps by Sir Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw in the early to mid 19th century.

The wood was acquired by the Woodland Trust in 1994 from the Forestry Commission. Since then, 4 ha of non-native conifers have been clear felled and replanted in 2002 with mixed native broadleaves. In addition, 2 ha of rhododendron have been cleared and the footpath network throughout the wood has been ameliorated and extended with the addition of a bridge connecting the northern and southern ‘arms’ of the wood.

Although Dumfries and Galloway, in general, have an abundance of accessible woodland, the Rhins do not and Aldouran Glen is one of the few types of woodland in this area where access is welcomed. The site is quiet with the bulk of the users being local dog owners or residents of the neighbouring Leswalt village and outlying communities.

There are three entrances to the wood, one in the south east corner, off the B7403, the second from the car park at the western end of the wood at the top of the hill and the third off the private track to the north of the wood. Negotiation started in 2004 to gain access via a forth entrance, over the newly created wetland area between Leswalt and the wood which would provide direct off the road access to the wood from the village.

Within the wood there is a network of almost 2km of trodden bare earth path with steps at either end and up to the hill fort from the south.

The car park can hold up to 4 cars.

Management access to the site is good. As well as the public road along the southern boundary and the vehicle track along the eastern boundary there is also the right of vehicular access along the private track along the northern boundary. However within the site vehicular access is difficult. There are no internal vehicle tracks, but flatter terraces including sub-compartments 1c and 2b and the extreme eastern end of 1a are accessible to forestry machinery from road- or track-side. Other areas can only be worked manually with any timber extraction using winches, whilst steep slopes and watercourses at the glen-head effectively mean it is inaccessible for machine working purposes.