About the reserve

This must-see site for orchid aficionados has ancient woodland on a chalk escarpment with a clay cap. The slope of the valley supports mixed woodland of ash, hornbeam and beech with a hazel understorey.   Regular coppicing maintains the diversity of woodland plants and animals, and several small areas of chalk grassland are kept open by mowing anually to further enhance the variety of wildlife. This is probably one of the best sites for the lady orchid and there are excellent colonies of twayblade, common spotted, early-purple, fly and other orchids.   Spring flowers are also prolific with violets, primrose, wood spurge and, on the clay cap, bluebells. There is a huge diversity of birds such as nightingale, warblers and great spotted, lesser spotted and green woodpeckers, whilst reptiles include adder, grass snake and slow-worm.