Bitholmes Wood

Wildlife and habitats

Enjoy the diverse nature of this woodland, with its large area of impressive rocky crags and outcrops, as well as its peaceful streams and riverbank.

Animals

The woodland is home to many bird species. Listen out for the melodious song of the pied flycatcher and keep an eye out for the verdant flash of colour as the green woodpecker spirals around tree branches. If you're quiet you may spot birds that are common in gardens, such as tits and tree sparrows. Look skyward you may be delighted with the sight of a buzzard, kestrel or sparrowhawk scouring the landscape for prey. 

As you walk look out for the fluttering brimstone, green hairstreak and peacock butterflies. 

At night, this wood comes to life with owls and bats.

Trees, plants and fungi

When you visit, look out for the ash, English oak, sycamore and beech trees that dominate what was once part of a large hunting forest for Norman lords. Notable trees include yews and small-leaved limes on the cliffs and aspen on the wetter lower ground. In autumn, visit to see the vibrant red clusters of rowan and holly berries and dog rose hips, the small green fruit of crab apple, and the startling orange spindle berries encased in pink flowers.

Walk here in spring to see drifts of bluebells, as well as other flowers typical of ancient woodlands such as dog’s mercury, wood mellick, opposite-leaved golden saxifrage, cow-wheat and wood sorrel. In the wetter parts of the woodland, you will find wild angelica, red campion, creeping buttercup and yellow pimpernel.

This wood also has a few fungi too. Look out for the bright red cap of fly agaric, the velvety jelly ear and coal like King Alfred's cake.

Habitats

Large parts of the site have a strong ancient woodland feel, with lots of associated ground flora remnants in the lower section of the wood. If you look you will find areas of ancient mixed woodland clinging on to the bracken-dominated crags and in the upper reaches of the wood. 

Look out for the streams in wet flushed areas along the crags, and explore the woodland dominated with alder, ash and yellow pimpernel in the wetter areas. 

About Bitholmes Wood

Bitholmes Wood was once a sessile oak woodland used as a Norman hunting forest. Today, although the wood is dominated by sycamore planted in the 19th century, there are still valuable fragments of the sessile oak-dominated woodland that have existed here for centuries.

The wood lies on a fault line with an underlying geology of millstone grit overlain by local measures and outcrops of pot clay. The fault line created the cliff faces which were further extended by quarrying in the 1940s and 50s. The pot clay has been heavily exploited in the past and the coal seams were dug on a small scale by local people in the great depression of the 1920s. 

The lush undergrowth here masks the scars that are remnants of mining and quarrying. As you explore you may notice charcoal platforms and hearths that still remain.

Things to do in Bitholmes Wood

There is a good network of paths within the wood, including a pleasant circular route, perfect for a gentle stroll.

If you're an ambitious rambler, you can climb to the top end of the wood to be rewarded with fabulous views across the Upper Don Valley. From here, admire the sculpture of the Dragon of Wantley, which grows out of the dry-stone wall.