Lady Park Wood is part of a large woodland complex in the Wye Valley Woodlands Special Area of Conservation. Main habitats: woodland Please note that access is limited to public rights of way. Other access is by permit only. Features of interest Lady Park Wood is a prime example of unmanaged, near natural woodland. The reserve was established by the Forestry Commission in 1945 as a long-term ecological project. Research aims to explore the natural processes that take place without human intervention such as tree felling, thinning or coppicing. Beside the common tree species of beech, oak, ash, wych elm and birch, the site is also home to both native species of lime (small-leaved and the rare large-leaved lime) as well as a rare species of whitebeam (Sorbus eminens). The shrub layer is dominated by hazel but also contains dogwood, spindle, hawthorn, privet and holly. Ground cover mainly consists of dog’s mercury and bramble but plants of interest include wood barley, fingered sedge, wild madder, bird’s-nest orchid, toothwort, lily-of-the-valley and herb paris. Lady Park Wood has a rich breeding bird community which includes all three woodpecker species, redstart, wood warbler, tawny owl, pied flycatcher and treecreeper. A variety of rare bats have been recorded in the NNR, in particular greater and lesser horseshoe bats which are found here in significant numbers. See the site information leaflet for more details. Lady Park Wood lies within the Upper Wye Gorge Site of Special Scientific Interest and forms part of the Wye Valley Woodlands Special Area of Conservation. For detailed ecological information see the Upper Wye Gorge SSSI citation. Directions Lady Park Wood straddles the border between England and Wales 3 km north east of Monmouth. Access to the reserve is from the A40 and A4136. There is no car park at the reserve; the nearest parking is across the river at the Biblins Bridge campsite. Monmouth is at the end of Route 30 of Sustrans National Cycle Network. The nearest stations are Lydney and Chepstow. Bus services run from Chepstow to Monmouth and from Lydney to villages near the reserve. See the Traveline south west website for details. Two major trails pass near the reserve: the Wye Valley Walk and the Wysis Way. Contact
Natural England Office
Lodge Hill Farm
Dowles Brook
Bewdley
DY12 2LY
Telephone: 01299 400 686