Ladybower Woods, Guy Badham
Mountain hare, Luke Massey 2020VISION
Ladybower Wood, Mark Hamblin
Heather, Amy Lewis
Location
OS Map Reference
SK 2059 8671
Know before you go
Entry fee
NoParking information
Park at Severn Trent Water's public car park at Heatherdene. Park along Ladybower Reservoir or near Ladybower Inn S33 0AXGrazing animals
NoWalking trails
Walk over the reservoir bridge and up to the Ladybower Inn - from here a public bridleway takes you diagonally upwards to the wall which forms the reserve boundary. Because of the difficult terrain, visitors are advised to stay on the bridleway, which offers plenty of opportunity to enjoy this interesting reserve
Access
Steep slopes
Dogs
When to visit
Opening times
Open at all timesBest time to visit
Spring for birds and autumn for heather, autumn colour and fungiAbout the reserve
Ladybower Wood is one of few remaining examples of upland oakwood in the Peak District.
Woodland such as this was once a familiar sight, covering most of the gritstone edges and moorlands of North Derbyshire. As well as oaks, there are a few rowans and silver birches.
On the woodland floor and on the gritstone boulders, there are many kinds of moss, lichen and liverwort, which enjoy the damp climate.
There are 44 species of lichen, making it one of the best areas in the Peak District to find them. The deciduous woodland provides little shelter for birds in the winter, but by late spring it is bursting with the songs of birds, including pied flycatchers, redstarts, wood warblers and tree pipits.
The elusive purple hairstreak butterfly may be seen around the upper branches of the oak trees in mid-summer. At the woodland edge, the trees give way to bracken and heather moorland, where you can spot red grouse and occasionally mountain hare.
Species
Habitat
Contact us
Environmental designation
Take a look at the latest sightings
Drakelow sighting reported by Tom Cockburn
Whooper Swans flew through the site
Witches Oak Water sighting reported by Vic Bevan
8 Cetti’s Warblers were calling
Drakelow sighting reported by Tom Cockburn
A staggering 530 cormorant were logged as they came into roost
The Avenue Washlands sighting reported by Brian Cuttell
2 Long-Tailed Tits, 1 Coal Tit, 3 Blue Tits, 2 Great Tits
Milford sighting reported by Ian Bustin
Two otters
Willington sighting reported by Aidin Jephson
kingfisher
Nearby nature reserves
Download our nature reserve leaflets
Check out the reserve map
Ladybower Wood reserve map
Play Wild rating
Some areas are very steep with hidden fissure so can be dangerous but along the bridleway and over the moor and small wooded area off the bridleway are fine outside ground nesting season.
Play Wild red