Ipsden Heath - Ipsden

Site Description

Ipsden Heath is part of a larger area of woodland and is bounded on two sides by minor roads and the northwest side by a substantial earth bank and ditch.

The woodland comprises of oak, ash, cherry and beech high forest, ranging from 80 to 150 years in age, with a strong natural regeneration in gaps of ash and beech.

There is a scattering of yew throughout the woodland with some hazel, and whitebeam. Although the woodland is not on the ancient woodland register it does have some flora species that are characteristic of this woodland type such as abundant bluebell with wood sorrel enchanters nightshade, herb robert, sweet woodruff and dogs mercury

Some of the adjacent woodland is likely to be ancient, and the fact of the boundary bank and the name with heath in it this area was probably a wooded heath until at least 150 years ago when the first beech were planted. There are several areas within the woodland that were planted with conifer in the 1960's

The soils are clay with flint towards the North and West with a thinner more calcareous clay thinly over chalk in the lower areas of the woodland towards the South and East.

Access to the wood is along several paths that come off the surrounding roads. There is a public footpath across the site. The paths tend to become muddy in the winter.