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Walden's Countryside's
Local Wildlife Sites

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Please donate. Walden Countryside creates public access nature reserves and promotes the conservation of traditionally managed countryside in north Uttlesford

The table below includes all Local Wildife Sites (LoWS) for north Uttlesford parishes plus Proposed Local Wildlife Sites (PLoWS) in the UDC 2007 list with amendments from 2020, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and the single National Nature Reserve (NNR)

  • Ist Column: Parish (and status of site if not a Local Wildlife Site)
  • Site details: Name of site (Green background for woods, yellow for roadide verge0 and a click through to a detailed map and wildlife interest of the site at the time of the last full survey (usually long ago).
  • Size: Given in hectares (2.5 acres) except some roadside verges where "m" indicates the length in metres
  • Ownership: Owner of land if known (most have no known ownership - please contact us if you can provide ownership details for any site.)
  • Public access: Rights of Way which cross or border the land or full access details (Green background) if permitted.

Click a parish for a list of its Local Wildlife Sites

Arkesden

Debden

Hadstock

Little Chesterford

Quendon & Rickling

Strethall

Wicken Bonhunt

Ashdon

Elmdon

Hempstead

Little Sampford

Radwinter

Thaxted

Widdington

Chrishall

Great Chesterford

Langley

Littlebury

Saffron Walden

Wendens Lofts

Wimbish

Clavering

Great Sampford

Little Bardfield

Newport

Sewards End

Wendens Ambo

 

 

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Arkesden

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

Godwells Grange 1.1 ufd287  

Becketts Paddock

1.1 demoted to PLoWS

fp on SW edge

Green Man Meadows

0.7 demoted to PLoWS

road on E side

Arkesden Chalk Pit

0.5 ? none

Ashdon

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)
NNR/SSSI Hales Wood NNR 8.4 Private/ Natural England none (request permit from Natural England)
SSSI Shadwell Wood NR 7.0 Essex Wildlife Trust full permissive access
SSSI Nunn Wood 9.5 Private fp through wood
SSSI Ashdon Meadows SSSI 1.3 Private fp on part of border
 

Brights Wood

3.9

Private

None

Hales Wood South

18.14

Private

None

Shadwell Wood West

2.0

Private

None

Water End verge 0.1 ufd314  

Little Hales Wood

14.3

Forestry Commission

full access land

Burnt House Meadow

0.8

Private

fp on S & E border

Ashdon Disused Railway 4.4 ufd311  

Ashdon Road Special Roadside Verge

20m

ECC Highways DELETED

roadside verge

Wilderness Grove

 

Private added to 210

fp along whole length

Home Wood

5.7

Private

fp on short length of SW border

Griggs Grove

3.2

Private

None

Chrishall

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

Bottom Roughway Wood

1.2

Private

byway on W side

Wisdom's Grove 1.1 ufd282  

Roughway Wood/Oldfield Grove

10.0

Private

several fps

Gentleman's Farm 2,5 ufd285  
Abrams Lane Verge 0.19 ufd284  

Building End Meadows

4.8

Private

fp on S edge

Chrishall Parish Church

0.6

Church grounds

full access

Park Wood, Chrishall

36.4

Private

fps on all sides except W

Clavering

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)
 

Oxbury Wood

6.4

Private

none

No Man's Grove

0.8 ufd289  
Stocking Grove 1.4 ufd290  

& Knock'em down

1.6    

Arnold's Spring

1.3

Private

fp on W side

Scotch Wood

3.2

Private

none

Stickling Green

1.1

?

? open access?

Scotts Pasture

0.7

?

?

Rickling Special Roadside Verge

215 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Debden

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)
SSSI Debden Water SSSI 20.8 Private 2 fps along whole length
 

Horseley Wood/Cabbage Wood/Pig's Parlour

24.9

Private

fp through Cabbage Wood

Howe Wood, Debden

12.9

Private

Bridle Way through wood

Peverel's Wood

19.1

Private

None

Littley Wood West

5.3

Private

Byway on W edge

Debden Water Footpath Verge 0.03 ufd301  

Smiths Green Special Roadside Verge

100 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Littley Wood East

3.7

Private

fp on E edge

Grove Spring

2.6

Private

fp on SE & NE edges

Rowney Wood

67.0

Forestry Commission

Open Access

Beck's Wood

1.5

Private

fp on SE edge

Debden Green Special Roadside Verge

3000 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Elmdon

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)
 

Langley Upper Green Special Roadside Verge

690 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Cane's Walk

4.0

?

green lanes on SW & SE edges

Cane's Walk Strip

0.7

?

fps almost all round

Cooper's End 1

Special Roadside Verge

400 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Cooper's End Meadow

1.4

?

rights of way all round

Daw's Grove

3.6


road on SE edge

Daw's Grove Special Roadside Verge

480 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Rockell's Wood

3.6

?

bridleway on E edge

Free Wood

26.7

?

rights of way all round

Great Chesterford

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)
  Gt Chesterford Churchyard 0.75   full

A11 Chesterford Special Roadside Verge

6000 m

ECC Highways deleted

Roadside verge

Great Chesterford Road Verge

0.15

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Burton Wood

2.1

?

road on SW edge

Crave Hall Meadow

0.6

?

ridleway on N edge

Great Sampford

Top

Site details

 

Ownership

Public access

SSSI West Wood NR 23.8 Essex Wildlife Trust Full Permissive Access + bridleway

Great Sampford Road Bank

400 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Great Sampford Sand Pit

1.9

?

fp on N edge

Scales Grove

3.0

Private

None

Hadstock

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

Harrison Sayer Reserve EWT Reserve

1.2

Essex Wildlife Trust

Full Permissive Access

Hadstock Wood

3.9

Private

None (road on W edge)

Hempstead

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

Wincelow Pasture

0.5

??

fp on S & W side

Hempstead Church Meadow

0.4

??

open access??

Holbrook Wood

7.0

private

fp on SW boundary

Hempstead Wood 69.4

Forestry Conmmission (private)

bridleway on S & W boundary

Lakehouse Grove

5.4

private

fp to NW corner

Langley

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

Langley Lower Green Special Roadside Verge

90 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Little Bardfield

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

NONE??


 



Little Chesterford

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

Bordeaux Pit

4.7    

Little Chesterford Verges

0.33

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Emanuel Wood

9.1


none

Paddock Wood

8.7


none

Little Sampford

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

Friars Farm Meadow

0.6

deleted ufd228

fp on W edge

Alrey Wood 2

5.4

?

fp on SE edge

Little Sampford Special Roadside Verge

400 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Sampford Hall Wood

3.6

?

None

Great Howe Wood

6.1

?

None (v short fp on S edge)

Mount Hall Wood

9.3

?

None

Littlebury

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

 

Lee Wood (South)

4.7


none

Lee Wood (North)

2.2


none

Ash Grove

1.2


fp on N edge

Felsted Croft Grove

0.6


none

Catmere End (West) Special Roadside Verge

200 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Wilford's Wood

1.0


bridleway on S edge

Bixett Wood

2.4


bridleway on W & S edge

Beavers Wood

1.9


brideway S & e edges

Ann's Wood

4.0


bridleway on E edge

Green Wood/Teapond Grove

12.2


bridlewaty on N edge

Cups/Bush Pasture Groves

1.4


none

Howe Wood, Catmere End

34.6


road on N edge

Catmere End (East) Special Roadside Verge

250 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Strethall Road Special Roadside Verge

600 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Newport

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)
 

Wicken Water Marsh

2.8


green lane to N

Newport Churchyard 0.5   full access

Newport - Debden Road Protected Roadside Verge

0.4

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Kiora Pastures

1.6


roads on W & S

Quendon & Rickling

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)
SSSI

Quendon Wood

33.5

Private

None (fp on NW edge)

  Coney Acre West 1.1    

Coney Acre

5.6


many bridleways & fps through & on edge

Bushy Lays/Spring Close

10.6


none

Broom/Burney Woods

34.6


bridleway on part W fp through E/W

Quendon Churchyard 0.21 ufd299  

Quendon Park

21.3


none

Paynsden Wood

4.0


fp N-S W of M11

Radwinter

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

Homestead Grove

1.6


fp on N & S edges

Radwinter Manor Place

3.0


fp on E edge

Roundlay Grove

0.5


None

Burntfield Grove

2.7


fp on N edge

Tilekiln Grove

2.0


fp on S edge

Plough Meadow

0.6


roads on two sides

Cowless Hall Meadows

3.1


fp

Little Bendysh Wood

33.3

Forestry Commission

Open Access

Haylock's Fen

0.1

deleted ufd229

fp

Great Bendysh Wood

58.6

Forestry Commission

Open Access

Clay Wood

2.8

Ted Browne

None

Saffron Walden

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

River Cam Wet Woods

8.1 Audley End Estate? bridleway on part E side

Saffron Walden – Audley End Park Wall Protected Roadside Verge

0.36

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Saffron Walden Golf Course

25.0


none

Spring Wood

16.4


none

Audley Park Pastures

9.5


fp on N edge

Brakey Lee Wood

4.7


fp on E edge

Westley Wood

3.9


none

Saffron Walden – Roos Hill Protected Roadside Verges

0.3

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Grimsditch Wood 13.0 private fp on E edge
Little Grimsditch Wood 3.8 private none

Ashdon Road Verges

0.09

ECC Highways

roadside verge

Fulfen Slade Lane

1500 m

ECC Highways

byway- green lane

Whitehill Wood

8.1

private

public road on S boundary

Madge Hobbs Wood

3.5

private

none

PLoWS Limefield Pit NR 0.34 EWT None

Sewards End

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

Pounce Wood

13.6

private

none

Mollpond Wood

2.8

private

public road on NW boundary

Martins Wood

4.9

private

fp on N boundary

Robins Grove/Hills Wood

8.5

private

public road on NE boundary

Noakes Grove

3.4

Walden Countryside NR

permissive access at all times

Oak Wood

2.1

private

fp on N boundary

Ashdon Road Protected Roadside Verges

0.1

ECC Higways DELETED

public road verge

Redgates Lane

0.1

ECC Higways & Walden Countryside DELETED

public road verge

PLoWS Saffron House Lane 0.9 ECC Highways? bridleway

Strethall

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

Strethall Wood

12.2

private

fp on W bridleway on S edges

Howe Wood, Strethall Special Roadside Verge

400 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Strethall Field Special Roadside Verge

200 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Thaxted

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

Cutler's Green Special Roadside Verge

600 m

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Home Wood, Thaxted

4.4


fp on W & SE edges

Brown's Wood

1.5


bridleway on E edge

Cutlers Green (EWT Nature Conservation Area)

1.7

?

full access

Folly Mill Special Roadside Verge

10 m

ECC Highways

roadside verge

Thaxted Churchyard

0.6

churchyard deleted

full access

Bow Croft Wood

3.0


fp on E edge

Marks Wood

4.0


none

Wenden Lofts

Site details

Size

Ownership

Public access

 

High Wood

49.6

private (was Forestry Commission)

none

Mead Bushes Wood

10.5

?

bridleway on S & W edges

Wendens Ambo

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

Wendens Ambo Lane

800 m

ECC Highways

bridleway - green lane

Wendens Ambo Station Road Protected Roadside Verge

0.2

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Wicken Bonhunt

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

Bonhunt Springs 7.9 ufd298  

Wicken Bonhunt Churchyard

0.4

churchyard - deleted

open access

Wicken Bonhunt Special Roadside Verge

250

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Widdington

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

London Jock Wood

15.4

private

fp on S bridleway on E edges

Widdington - Waldegraves Protected Roadside Verges

0.2

ECC Highways

Roadside verge

Prior's Wood/High Wood 47.0 ? many fps through wood

Park Wood, Widdington

2.9


fp on W edge

St Ma ry's Churchyard 0.26    

High/Prior's Wood Lane

1.6 ECC Highways

bridleway - green lane

Wimbish

Top

Site details

(Green = woodland, Yellow = verge)

Size (ha)

(m for linear sites)

Ownership

Public access

Green - full, free access)

 

Carver Barracks Airfield

63.8

MOD Army

Yes, except when red flagis flying

Elder Street Special Roadside Verge

1080 m

ECC Highways

Roadside Verge

Crowney Wood

8.9

Local farmer

none

Six-acre Wood 0.9 ufd310  
Harrison's Wood

1.5

Local farmer

SW edge fp

Wimbish Lanes

3500 m

Local farmer

Green Lanes or Bridle Ways

Reedings Grove

1.5

Private

SW edge fp

Bush Croft

1.8

Local farmer

N & E edge fp (possible permissive path through centre)

Howlett End Special Roadside Verge

640 m

ECC Highway

Roadside verge

Ellis Green

3.3

Common with no owner (plus Scotch Patch - managed by Walden Countryside)

Open access at all times

Scabbard's Wood

2.4

private

None except via Rowney Wood which has short NW border with wood

 

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Organic Countryside Community Interest Company
Trading as Walden Countryside
Company number 06794848 - registered in England
VAT No: 947 3003 317

Updated 15 June 2026