Besselsleigh Wood
Never a whisper have I heard about this woods before! We love the annual Besselsleigh Christmas lights and Appleton Barn visit, but now it’s a year round destination to visit with this discovery. A big thanks to our well-informed community for letting us in on this special place. Needless to say the bluebells are out, although the locals tell me that the woods usually show later than the rest of Oxfordshire so the best is yet to come. Exciting, given that we were pretty impressed with what we saw; we consider ourselves aficionados with all the bluebell chasing we have done this week!
This area has been wooded for over 400 years and is now managed and maintained by a group of local volunteers. They are clearly doing an excellent job as wildlife surveys have shown that Besselsleigh Wood is thriving: 19 different species of butterfly, including 3 rare types, 175 species of moth, 45 species of bird and 60 identifiable fungi have been recorded in the past few years.
Boardwalks and bridges connect the 10 hectare landscape as it changes from Oak, Ash and Hazel Woodland to bracken then Sycamore Woodland. Little ones will love trotting over the water and stopping to peer in, some parts shallow enough for a welly splash. We followed a circular route and stopped off along the way to hide in dens and balance on fallen trees. Dogs, a Shetland pony, a horse and donkey were befriended along the way, although the latter did have designs on our sausage roll. Make sure you stop in at the Appleton Community Shop before you set off on your journey; we sampled the hot pasties and sausage rolls and washed it down with a nice cup of tea. Real fuel for real adventurers!
💴 Free
❌ Not wheelchair or pushchair accessible due to terrain
🐕 Dogs welcome
☕️ Appleton Community Shop is situated at 39 Eaton Road, OX13 5JH
🚾 No toilet
🥾 Wear boots or wellies as it is muddy
🅿️ Park near Appleton Community Shop. To reach the wood, walk towards the Church by taking the lane opposite the shop and past the school. Go through the Churchyard and cross a small meadow, then follow the field margin towards the wood.
🚘 18 minutes from Headington roundabout
ℹ️ Find more information on Besselsleigh Woods here
