What can be nicer on a crisp winter’s day than a walk in beautiful woodland? A visit to Broxbourne Wood boasts the added advantage of a sculpture trail!
This easy 1km circuit makes it suitable for little ones and, if the route is followed anti-clockwise it is accessible to wheelchair users.
Broxbourne Wood is owned and managed by Hertfordshire County Council, one of four woodlands that make up Hertfordshire’s only National Nature Reserve (NNR). NNRs are nationally important for wildlife.
You will see a variety of habitats on your walk around, including areas of pine, planted to produce fast growing timber, areas of young native trees that are gradually being encouraged to replace the pine and return the wood to its natural character and areas of coppiced hornbeam. Coppicing is where trees are grown as a crop and harvested every 20 years or so. The stumps of the trees then grow again to yield another crop 20 years later.
Today this kind of work is done by volunteers to help preserve the special habitat for the plants and animals that live here. Look out for the ‘deer baskets’ built by volunteers to help protect the new hornbeam shoots from browsing deer.
There are also open areas, kept in check by livestock grazing. Letting the sunlight in encourages all sorts of wildlife including butterflies like the White Admiral and reptiles like the Common Lizard. Wetter areas and ponds are enjoyed particularly by birds, newts and also Grass Snakes.
During your walk you will encounter eight fantastic sculptures. Look out for the Roman Soldier standing guard close to Ermine Street, an ancient Roman road built to link London to York.
The Wild Boar may not be as pretty as the domestic pig but the sculpture is handsome enough. These beasts once roamed our woodlands grubbing around for acorns and other tasty nibbles. Boar would have been hunted and later farmed for it’s pork-like meat.
All of the sculptures are carved by Dan Cordell and you can see more of his work on his website www.dancordell.co.uk
For more information, a copy of the walkers guide or to download an audio guide to the trail visit the Countryside Management Service website – www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/cms and click on “places to visit”.
Feel free to download this handy walkers guide
