Waresley & Gransden Woods

Welcome to waresleywood.co.uk, a website dedicated to providing information on all topics relating to the Waresley and Gransden Woods reserves of The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.

News - 05/01/2026

Until the current icy conditions thaw out, the wood's paths are easy to walk upon. Sturdy footwear or wellies should still be worn for splashing in the puddles (when they return). As always in a natural environment, visitors should take care and be aware of their surroundings and keep to the paths.

One of the paths in the wood still remains temporarily closed until the ground dries enough for the removal of ruts along it. This closure means that the first section of the re-profiled "main ride" has become a cul de sac, without exit. The second, newly profiled ride section will remain closed for a prolonged period to allow the ground to resettle and re-generate. Please respect the Trust's wishes by not entering this area.

If you're interested in joining our conservation work parties, contact me using the form on the About page. View the Conservation Work page to see what we achieve in the 2025-26 season.

04/01/2026 - a welcome view of fully extended hazel catkins greeted us on our visit today. The first sighting to appear in 2026. Click on the link to browse the 2026 list of Sightings. I've also added a separate tab on the sightings page to allow the 2025 sightings to be viewed as well.

04/01/2026 - the conservation volunteers have completed coppicing along the un-profiled ride and have now started the next task, further coppicing along the side of the glade. This work will extend the coppiced area cleared in the glade last year. As you can see from the image, there is much to be done!

28/12/2025 - the end of the ride was reached on the last conservation work party of the year, which means the ride edge coppicing is completed (for this year). About 20 small coppice scallops have been cut, decreasing the amount of shading and thereby increasing the diversity of habitat along the ride edge.

28/12/2025 - moving some dead wood during our ride coppicing, I came across a clump of the aptly named Kings Alfred's Cakes.