Dormice, kingfishers and fungi await on this quiet 1.5 mile circular walk, says one of Dorset Wildlife Trust’s North Dorset assistant wardens
If you’re looking for ancient woodlands, peaceful wood pastures, hazel coppice and vibrant hay meadows, come and take a walk around the beautiful Bracketts Coppice. Located north of Corscombe, deep in the quiet heart of West Dorset, this nature reserve is home to some of Dorset’s best-loved and rarest species: dormice, kingfishers, otters and woodpeckers.
The walk
Beginning at the hay fields entrance off Rye Water Lane, head diagonally left through the field to reach the gate. While the meadow wildflowers have retreated now, the winter grassland still supports life: look for small flocks of long-tailed tits and blue tits flitting low among the hedges, and listen for the calls of blackbirds, and redwings which arrive from Scandinavia for the winter. The fields may appear empty, but tracks and scrapes in the mud may reveal the presence of field mice and other small mammals.
Once through the gate, head left, cutting across the field to the next gate. In winter, this area is quieter, but the ancient grassland remains a haven for hardy plants like adder’s-tongue fern, its brown, withered fronds marking the meadow’s long history. Through the gate, follow the path across the next meadow until you reach the woodland, which is full of mossy oaks and hazels, and home to dormice and Bechstein’s bats.
Follow the path down through the woods and over a small sleeper bridge to reach the footbridge across the river. From this bridge, you can sot the distinctive Otter Rock, standing out from the rest with no moss on top. It’s a fine spot for finding otter spraint.
Over the bridge, turn left and follow the path up, taking the higher track.
This route takes you past areas of woodland managed by coppicing – a traditional technique producing useful hazel timber while benefiting a variety of wildlife, including dormice.
Spot the Wild Service tree
Continue along the main ride to the north entrance of the reserve, where you’ll see an information board.
Turn right here and follow the ride downhill, merging onto the narrower path to keep straight, towards the river and another footbridge. Cross the bridge – looking out for kingfishers which may still be active, even in the colder months – and turn left, following the path uphill to emerge from the woodland onto another wide ride. Turn right, following the ride and through the gate, before turning right into a grassland area.
Keep to the path running parallel to the woodland edge. Scattered with standing deadwood, this area provides a great habitat for invertebrates and fungi as well as good look-out spots for birds. As autumn arrives look among the leaf litter for fungal fruiting bodies such as yellow brain fungi, a parasitic jelly fungus that feeds on other fungi living on dead wood. It can range in colour from bright pale yellow to a rusty orange when dry.
Go through the gap in the hedge and continue straight ahead through the area of wood pasture to a wire gate with a squeeze-type stile.
Stick to the path, keeping the fence to your left, through another area rich in deadwood. Just before you reach the old hedge bank before the grassland, there is a Wild Service tree in the hedgerow – it’s a Dorset rarity, and an indicator of ancient woodland. For most of the year it is unremarkable, but its leaves, a little like maple, do give themselves away in autumn, when they turn crimson.
Emerging into the grassland, with sprawling open-grown oaks, continue straight down the small slope and up again, joining the track that leads to the final field gate. Turn right here, along the medieval Common Lane, and turn right once you rejoin Rye Water Lane to return to the start of the walk.
