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#7 Roundabout Wood

This and the next stage of the trail are not easily accessible for pushchairs and wheelchairs. We recommend jumping to Stage 9 - The Oast by proceeding up the path.

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Stage 1 - Grosvenor Rocks
Stage 2 - Marnock Lake
Stage 3 - The Swimming Pool
Stage 4 - The Hub
Stage 5 - The Wetlands
Stage 6 - Folly Shaw
Stage 7 - Roundabout Wood
Stage 8 - The Community Orchard
Stage 9 - The Oast House
Stage 10 - Our Lost History

Roundabout Wood

Roundabout Wood is an area of ancient woodland with both semi natural woodland and wet woodland areas. A circular woodland path runs through the site, with boardwalk and steps allowing access all year round. The wood is on a gentle slope, above a small stream, and is made up of oak, hazel and a few beech on the dryer slopes. Alder grows on the lower damper slopes, lining the wet flushes that appear throughout the year.

The stream running through the woods has more leaky dams on it, to reduce the risk of flooding downstream. It supports a good range of wildlife, including some uncommon species of fly. The surrounding wet areas have a vast, rich insect flora, which includes both local and nationally scarce species.

Each winter KHWP volunteers coppice an area of the hazel woodland, so sunlight reaches the woodland floor and encourages new growth. This replicates how woodlands were managed in the past, providing firewood, timber and fencing materials. This method gives other plants and flowers the chance to grow.

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This remnant of a much larger forest was part of a small farm, managed for timber products. Part of Roundabout Wood is 'coppice-with-standards': hazel coppice with oak standards.

'Coppice' is the practice of cutting trees to the ground to stimulate the growth of new stems from the base - anything from 5 to 30 stems can grow from the cut stump. The trees are cut over a cycle of 5 to 8 years, which provides the hazel tree plenty of time to establish new growth.

'Standards' are the trees chosen to grow into large timber.

This woodland management system provided a large range of products, including construction timber, fencing and furniture parts, and nuts, while maintaining forest cover. Most small farms in the High Weald retained woods like this, originally with the intention of being mostly self-sufficient in timber.

Frequent cutting of small blocks of coppice creates a mosaic of environments with diverse habitats for wildlife. It provides patches of high light intensity within the woods, which stimulates the growth of flowering and fruiting shrubs and wildflowers.

After the KHWP volunteers coppice the hazel, they use the cut branches and foliage ('arisings') to make dead hedges. These provide useful shelter for birds, small mammals and invertebrates. As the dead hedge slowly and naturally rots away it will provide habitat for specialist invertebrates and fungi.

Roundabout Wood contains plants that are 'indicator' species for ancient woodland - they are only found in woods that have been present for a long period of time. Among these are bluebells, wood sorrel and wood anemone. Other characteristic woodland flowers found here include dog violet, wood avens, enchanter's nightshade, yellow pimpernel, lesser celandine, lords and ladies and sanicle.

The stream running through the woodland adds to the diversity of plant life, with wetland species like opposite-leaved golden saxifrage, as well as ferns and mosses. You can also find the more unusual wood horsetail and broad-leaved helleborine, a type of orchid. On the wet valley sides ferns like hart's tongue, hard fern and lady fern grow luxuriantly.

These areas of wet woodland have a vast range of insect species, including some unusual flies. Living in the streams are a variety of creatures including pond snails and pea mussels and you may see water crickets skimming over the surface. These are relatives of the more well-known pond-skater which live in flowing water.

Ancient woodland is the richest and most complex terrestrial habitat in the UK and is home to more threatened species than any other. We are fortunate in having this remnant of a much larger forest in the park for us to enjoy.

Just For Kids

If you are following the 'brass-rubbing' trail there are three near here: some hazel nuts are near the entrance to the boardwalk and some bluebells further along the path. The third, a grasshopper, is on the main path up towards the oast house.

Roundabout Wood: Nature

Roundabout Wood contains plants that are 'indicator' species for ancient woodland - they are only found in woods that have been present for a long period of time. Among these are bluebells, wood sorrel and wood anemone. Other characteristic woodland flowers found here include dog violet, wood avens, enchanter's nightshade, yellow pimpernel, lesser celandine, lords and ladies and sanicle.

The stream running through the woodland adds to the diversity of plant life, with wetland species like opposite-leaved golden saxifrage, as well as ferns and mosses. You can also find the more unusual wood horsetail and broad-leaved helleborine, a type of orchid. On the wet valley sides ferns like hart's tongue, hard fern and lady fern grow luxuriantly.

These areas of wet woodland have a vast range of insect species, including some unusual flies. Living in the streams are a variety of creatures including pond snails and pea mussels and you may see water crickets skimming over the surface. These are relatives of the more well-known pond-skater which live in flowing water.

Ancient woodland is the richest and most complex terrestrial habitat in the UK and is home to more threatened species than any other. We are fortunate in having this remnant of a much larger forest in the park for us to enjoy.

What Next: The Community Orchard

Continue along the boardwalk to the end, follow the unmade (and sometimes muddy) path to reach the orchard.