Bigsweir Woods

Also within

Gloucestershire County WYE VALLEY (England) Scenic Area Offa's Dyke Path National Trail

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Bracken scrub, Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Geological Feature: Gorge / Ravine · Geological Period: Devonian · Rock Type: Conglomerate, Limestone, Sandstone

Landscape processes: Fluvial

Description

Area, 48.16 ha. 119 ac. Description The woodlands of the lower Wye Valley form one of the most important areas of woodland conservation in Britain, comparable with the Caledonian pine woods, the oceanic oak woods of Western Britain, the New Forest and the mixed coppices of East Anglia. Semi natural woodland is abundant and virtually continuous along the gorge. The woods are a mixture of many types, some of which are very localised, e.g. the lime sessile oak stands on limestone, beech stands on both acid and alkaline soils in which lime Tilia spp., elm Ulmus spp., oak Quercus spp. and other species share dominance. Most woods are a rich mixture of stand types which are believed to be similar in composition to the original natural woods of the valley. Many rare and local species are present, including one of the rarest native tree species, e.g. large leaved lime Tilia platyphyllos, whitebeams Sorbus spp. and trees close to the edge of their European range e.g. hornbeam Carpinus betulus and beech Fagus sylvatica. Furthermore these woods sit in a matrix of unimproved grassland and other semi natural habitats which together with the woods, make the Wye Valley one of the most diverse, rich and attractive areas in southern Britain. Bigsweir Woods overlie the Devonian Old Red Sandstone and quartz conglomerate which gives rise to fairly acid soils. A range of acid woodland types is represented with the canopy largely dominated by sessile oak Quercus petraea with some beech Fagus sylvatica, small leaved lime Tilia cordata and birch Betula spp. particularly on the lower slopes. A coppiced understorey includes abundant hazel Corylus avellana, small leaved lime and beech with occasional rowan Sorbus aucuparia and holly Ilex aquifolium. The field layer is made up of associations of bramble Rubus fruticosus, bracken Pteridium aquilinum, male fern Dryopteris filix-mas and ivy Hedera helix with occasional bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis, bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus, cow wheat Melampyrum pratense and greater wood rush Luzula sylvatica. Local plant species present at the site include Forester's wood rush Luzula forsteri, bitter vetch Lathyrus montanus, alder buckthorn Frangula alnus and wood fescue Festuca altissima. The site also has a good range of ferns including hard fern Blechnum spicant and lady fern Athyrium filix-femina.

Species mentioned

Insects to look out for

These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.

Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.

Plant communities