Hope Valley

A rejuvenated oak wood with a colony of dormice

Location

3 miles south of Minsterley
Minsterley
SY5 0JX

OS Map Reference

SJ 34982 01684
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A static map of Hope Valley

Know before you go

Size
19 hectares
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Entry fee

Free
P

Parking information

Car park signed from the main road: A488, 3 miles south of Minsterley.

Grazing animals

None

Walking trails

There are well-marked paths throughout the woods including, on the southern side, a flight of more than 100 steps.

Access

Well marked footpaths around the reserve.

Accessibility: Red

From the car park there is a stile onto the site. The paths are through woodland and so become muddy. There is a flight of steps on one track. The site has steep valley sides.

Dogs

Dogs permitted

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

April to July, September to November

About the reserve

Oaks do not die easily. When this steep valley wood was felled in the 1960s and conifers planted instead, it must have looked as though the old woodland had gone forever. Not so. From their broad and mossy coppice stools the trees sprang back to life, sending out six or seven slender trunks each. The Trust recognised the wood’s potential for restoration and bought it in 1981. Most of the conifers have now been felled and light once again shines into this long, thin strip of woodland.

That leap of faith in the forces of nature has paid off and every year the wood becomes more like its old self. Now, in late spring bluebells once again flood the ground, with yellow archangel and early purple orchids also re-emerging. The wood is also home to a colony of dormice.

There are well-marked paths throughout the woods including, on the southern side, a flight of more than 100 steps, constructed by our hardworking volunteers, leading up to the top and fine views over to the Stiperstones.

Contact us

Location map

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