King's Wood Heath & Reach National Nature Reserve
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Overview
The King’s Wood Heath & Reach NNR is an important area of ancient semi-natural woodland. In early medieval times it was part of the royal manorial estate of Leighton, hence the name ‘King’s Wood’. The site lies on an unusual mixture of soils. Birch, sessile oak, bracken and heather grow in the sandy areas, with pedunculate oak, hornbeam and dog’s mercury on the clay. There are small-leaved lime trees here and a large population of lily-of-the-valley. The site is also home to rare mosses and fungi and there are recent records of the elusive purple emperor butterfly. The Greensand Trust is restoring some of the areas of plantations back to heathland to provide valuable habitats for species such as adders, common lizards, tree pipits and woodlarks. The heronry, visible from the Visitor Centre, provides a secure breeding site for about 8-10 pairs of grey herons each year.
About the area
At its most southern point, Bedfordshire is only 35 miles from London Waterloo, so there’s a good reason for the UK’s fifth busiest airport to be called London Luton Airport. The county is one of England’s smaller in terms of area, but more than makes up for it in terms of business HQs and visitor attractions.
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Nearby places to stay
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Nearby places to stay
House Forty One
House Forty One offers high quality bed and breakfast close to Aylesbury town centre. The four double rooms are all en suite and decorated to a very high standard with the latest featur...
Hartwell House & Spa
Hartwell House is a beautiful and historic hotel set in 90 acres of unspoilt parkland. The grand public rooms are truly magnificent, and feature many fine works of art. Standards are ve...
The Five Arrows
This Grade II listed building, with its elaborate Elizabethan-style chimney stacks, stands at the gates of Waddesdon Manor and was named after the Rothschild family emblem. The individu...
Hyde Mill
Hyde Mill offers high quality bed and breakfast accommodation and self-catering apartments on the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire border. In an idyllic location on the banks of the River...
Wellcroft Apartment
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The Old Stone Barn
The apartments and cottages at The Old Stone Barn offer comfortable and relaxed accommodation, and there’s a heated outdoor swimming pool in the summer. They are set within Home Farm, i...
Lower Dovehouse Apartment
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Tinwick Apartment
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