
A few of the bat boxes of Ploughman Wood. They are installed three per tree to provide different aspects and temperatures

A Barbastelle bat in a Kent bat box. The orange 'ear rings' are the larvae of chigger mites and are quite common on barbastelle.

Hattie Lavender
Ploughman Wood
Know before you go
Dogs
When to visit
Opening times
Open at all timesBest time to visit
During Spring, when Bluebells & Wood Anemones carpet the groundAbout the reserve
*Latest Update 09/01/25*
Urgent work to ensure that we can keep Ploughman Wood open to visitors and keep visitors safe from potential falling trees and branches has now commenced. Further work will be taking place in a small number of our woodlands over the next few weeks – please check back here or see our social media pages for further updates.
This wood was once part of a much larger area of woodland that dates back to the 13th century. It is mainly ash/oak woodland with some other species and this mix provides an excellent range of habitats for wildlife. The presence of substantial quantities of dead wood provide an excellent habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna. Over 280 species of invertebrates have so far been recorded.