If you go down to the woods today...

...Please do not have a surprise!

Due to essential works, from Monday 8 January, the vehicle access into Yarner Wood will be restricted over the coming winter months and into spring.  The main access will be via the Middle Trendlebere Car Park, grid reference SX783 792 (middle green circle on the map below). The driveway into Yarner Wood, off the Manaton-Bovey Tracey road, will be restricted to work traffic during this period.Owing to a non-functioning Victorian dam, Natural England are converting what once was previously a pond belonging to the Yarner House estate, naturally back to the old course of the Woodcock Stream. This will mean removing a vast amount of silt, so a culvert can be installed, to allow the stream to follow its natural course.  We hope to maintain small ponds in the unaffected area so the pond bird hide will still look over water, which is needed by both invertebrates and birds. While the work is happening we suggest visitors avoid the area round the office as the main causeway will be restricted. Although the work will be carried out in such a way to minimise the impact on wildlife, there will be some unwanted noise and disturbance, so we suggest visitors use the other tracks throughout the wood.For those bird watchers among our visitors, Trendlebere Down edge and the ride/track just inside the wood, are good places to see birds as we move towards spring. It is especially good for lesser spotter woodpeckers and we would be grateful for any pictures or records of them and other breeding birds. (You can post photos on our East Dartmoor NNR Facebook page, or on our Twitter page) The open water feature will not be lost, as Natural England have opened the new reservoir hide. This hide has been made possible with Heritage Lottery funding, through the Moor than meet the eye landscape partnership scheme. This can be accessed via the Middle Trendlebere car park, which will be the main access point into Yarner Wood, though there are also many other access points along the roadside.

The contacts for this project are: Tim Brodie James on 07887 823015, Nik Ward on 07799 583446 or the reserve work base 01626 832 330