To Radstock To Radstock Edford Harridge 1 1 Harridge Woods Woods N 5 East South Woods Harridge 2 2 Woods 4 West To Oakhill Key Keepers Key 3 3 Coage Long Route Red (2km+) 6 10 Short Route Green (Under 2km) Limekiln What to see at Harridge Woods 7 Wood Roadside Verge Parking Home Trees and fungi Public Footpath 9 8 Wood Pedunculate Oak Quercus robur 0 300m All year Deer Fencing Permissive Path Hazel Corylus avellana All year Information Board Norway Spruce Picea abies Grass Edford 1 1 Harridge All year Woodland Stoggle - various species Woods Rock Faces Woods All year 5 Stream South East Silver Birch Betula pendula Glade All year Steep Drop Ash Fraxinus excelsior Keepers Cottage 2 2 All year Harridge Wych Elm Ulmus glabra Photos other side: Bridge ©Neil Watson, Song thrush ©Steve Waterhouse, Roe Deer and Bluebell ©Elliott Neep, Nuthatch ©Matthew Peaster, Silver washed fritillary ©Phil Bishop, Keepers Cottage ©Adel Avery, Dormouse ©Jamie Edmonds, Kingfisher ©Brian Phipps, Fly agaric Neep ©Elliott Dormouse Kingfisher Fly ©Jamie Edmonds, washed fritillary ©Brian Silver Avery, Phipps, Keepers ©Adel Cottage Bishop, ©Phil ©Matthew Nuthatch Peaster, Roe Deer Neep, and Bluebell ©Elliott Waterhouse, Song thrush ©Steve Watson, other side: Bridge ©Neil Photos Dormouse Kingfisher ©Richard Burkmarr Comma ©Jamie Edmonds, ©Brian Phipps, Waterhouse, Song thrush ©Steve Bishop, Otter Brimstone ©Phil ©Brian Phipps, Neep, Dipper ©Elliott Holland, mouse ©Margaret Wood Avery, horseshoe bat ©Adel horseshoe bat and Lesser Greater Trust, bat ©Bat Conservation long eared Brown washed fritillary Silver Neep, Badger ©Elliott Bishop, ©Phil woodpecker ©Ben Simmonds | bensimmondsphotography.co.uk, Green Bullfinch and Roe Neep, deer ©Elliott cakes Bishop, ©Phil Scarlet King elf cup ©Wikimedia Neep, ©Elliott Spindle ©Christopher Hancock, Alfred’s Agaric Commons, Fly Precey, elm ©Philip Wych ©Wikimedia Ash Commons, Precey, ©Philip birch Silver Avery, ©Adel Stoggle spruce ©Wikimedia Commons, Norway Bishop, ©Phil Hazel oak ©Wikimedia Commons, Pedunculate Avery, ©Adel fern tongue Hart’s nightshade ©Wikimedia Commons, Enchanter’s Bishop, seal ©Phil Solomon’s celandine ©Richard Burkmarr, Lesser Avery, ©Adel bellflower Nettle leaved ©WikimediaMeadow saffron Commons, Lane, ©Paul archangel Yellow ©Bruce Shortland, Toothwort anemone ©HeathMcDonald | http://mendipwildlifephotography.co.uk, Wood Lane, garlic Wild ©Paul Neep, Bluebell ©Elliott Watson, ©Neil Wood Rock at Home Clare’s garlicBishop, Wild ©Phil this side: Horseshoe bats ©Brian Phipps, Photos Woods All year Spindle Euonymous europaea 4 West All year (Berries September to January) Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria To Oakhill August to November Keepers Scarlet Elf Cup Sarcoscypha coccinea 3 3 Coage November to March King Alfred’s Cakes Daldinia Concentrica All year 6 Animals Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus 10 All year Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula Limekiln All year 7 Wood Green Woodpecker Picus viridis April to May Silver-washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia June to August Home What to see at Harridge Woods Badger Meles meles All year 9 8 Wood Plants Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta Brown Long Eared Bat Plecotus auritus April to June All year Wild Garlic Allium ursinum Greater Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum April to June All year Wood Anemone Anemone nemorosa Lesser Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus hipposideros March to May All year Toothwort Lathraea squamaria Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus March to May All year Yellow Archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon Dipper Cinclus cinclus May to June All year Meadow Saffron Colchicum autumnale Otter Lutra lutra August to October All year Nettle-leaved bellflower Campanula trachelium Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni July to September March to September Lesser Celandine Ranunculus ficaria Song Thrush Turdus philomelos February to May All year Wild Garlic Solomon’s-seal Polygonatum multiflorum Dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius April to August All year Enchanter’s Nightshade Circaea lutetiana Kingfisher Alcedo atthis June to August All year Horseshoe Bats Clare’s Rock at Home Wood Hart’s Tongue Fern Asplenium scolopendrium Comma Polygonia c-album All year March to August Love Somerset, Love Nature Love Somerset, Love Introduction Woodland Nature Trails Harridge Woods There are two way-marked trails to help you explore the woodland. 5.5 88. nature reserve is This part of the wood was largely cleared and planted with conifers Deadwood is important to support a wide range of species that The short nature trail is 1.3km long – follow the green way-marked managed and owned in the 1950/60s. Somerset Wildlife Trust are returning the woodland depend on it for food, shelter or anchorage, particularly fungi, posts from Harridge Wood West main entrance. by Somerset Wildlife back to native broadleaf which is far better for wildlife. We are lichens, mosses, ferns, wood utilising invertebrates and cavity nesting Trust. The 55 hectares The long nature trail is 2.0km long – follow the red way-marked posts achieving this through a long term programme of thinning the birds and bats. As you carry on with the walk look for deadwood on (136 acres) is made from Harridge Wood West main entrance. conifers and letting natural regeneration of species like Ash, Oak and the ground and see if there is any fungi on it. Look into the wood for up of 5 different Hazel take place. As you walk back to the start of the trail, take in your standing deadwood and see if there are any holes for bats or large Wildlife Watch is a junior branch of the Wildlife Trusts where Both trails have numbered stops with points of interest. woodlands: Harridge surroundings and compare how much light there is in the woodland round holes made by Woodpeckers. children and their families can explore, discover, learn and be inspired by taking part in events and activities with Somerset Woods East and West, If you are visiting as a family why not try the Hedgehog Award on both sides relative to the broadleaf / conifer tree composition. Fungi play a very important part in nature, breaking down matter and Limekiln Woods, The stand of western red cedar to your right as you go down the hill Wildlife Trust. Visit www.somersetwildlife.org/education to find activities listed on the leaflet with your children? releasing nutrients into the soil for living things to feed off. Autumn your nearest watch group, events and activity ideas. Home Wood and is so dark that there is little ground flora or associated insects to be is a good time to look for fungi - just remember some are poisonous The Wildlife Watch Hedgehog Award is a simple and fun way Edford Wood South. Hedgehog Award – Take five photos of interesting, found, whereas to your left there is a mixture of species with only a so don’t touch them. few European Larch and Norway Spruce trees and there is plenty of to earn an award while exploring nature in different ways. See The short nature colourful or unusual things. light and flora and fauna in this part of the wood. Hedgehog Award – Listen carefully, what can you if you can complete the eight wildlife activities whilst walking trail will take you the nature trails; when you have completed them all fill out the hear? Would you hear these sounds in a town? through Harridge From the start post at the reserve entrance follow the path until This is the last post for the trail, when you reach a T junction form below and send it to Somerset Wildlife Trust and you’ll get Wood West, whilst you reach stop 1. with the main hard topped ride go left to return to the entrance Take the right turn uphill alongside the wall to carry on with the a Hedgehog Award certificate. of the woods. the long trail also 1.1 1 long trail. If you are happy for us to contact you by e-mail please add your takes in Home Wood e-mail address below. 6.6 99. - a great opportunity There is an interesting spring here, a petrifying spring. The precise For the long trail (red route), turn left at stop 3 and head down to see the difference environmental conditions arise to make the calcium carbonate Roe Deer and Badgers are often seen in the woods here. They use ................................................................................................................................ the steps, over the bridge and up the other side to stop 6 by the in species and Mells River dissolved in the water precipitate out to create tufa. Tufa is a form the same routes to get around the woods and if you look carefully cottage. Be sure to check for Otters playing or Dippers feeding in management of limestone which can coat objects in the water (such as sticks) in a as you continue your walk you may see paths going off in different Name: ....................................................................................................... the stream. between the two few weeks, making them look like they are made of stone. However directions made by animals. Address: ....................................................................................................... woodlands. tufa is very soft so please don’t go into the water as it will cause This beautiful location by the Mells River is the setting for our bat Don’t go over the stile, stay in the woods and take the path to the damage to the stream bed. Not many species thrive in this strongly roost, Keepers Cottage. It was the estate workers’ house but now right at the top of the hill. Keep going to stop 10 but beware that Harridge Woods has ....................................................................................................... alkaline environment but the rare Mountain Bulin Snail and the Large it provides roosting habitat for 7 species of bat including the rare there is a steep drop next to the path on this stretch of footpath. an interesting history, Chrysalis Snail thrive in the conditions found around the tufa stream, Greater Horseshoe and Lesser Horseshoe Bat and occasionally incorporating coal Postcode: ....................................................................................................... a rare habitat of European importance. the very rare Barbastelle. See the section on bats for more Hedgehog Award – Find a muddy spot and look at mining, forestry, house information.