Sulham and Tidmarsh Woods and Meadows

Sulham Woods is a 74 hectares (180 acres) Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Berkshire, England near the villages of Purley-on-Thames, Tilehurst, Sulham, and Tidmarsh.

Previously known as Pang Valley SSSI, most of the southern part of the site is the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust's Moor Copse Nature Reserve. The whole site lies within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.^[1]

The SSSI consists of five areas.

Location	Unit area (Ha)	Main habitat
51°28′13″N 1°04′58″W / 51.4704°N 1.0828°W / 51.4704; -1.0828	15.24	Acid grassland - lowland
51°27′57″N 1°04′43″W / 51.4659°N 1.0786°W / 51.4659; -1.0786	15.48	Broadleaved, mixed and yew woodland - lowland
51°27′38″N 1°05′04″W / 51.4605°N 1.0844°W / 51.4605; -1.0844	27.57	Broadleaved, mixed and yew woodland - lowland
51°27′18″N 1°04′49″W / 51.4551°N 1.0803°W / 51.4551; -1.0803	7.70	Broadleaved, mixed and yew woodland - lowland
51°27′57″N 1°04′59″W / 51.4659°N 1.0831°W / 51.4659; -1.0831	9.76	Neutral grassland - lowland

The site is in a broad valley of unusually varied alluvial loams, gravel terraces and peat deposits, resulting from flooding in late glacial times by an enlarged River Kennet. The variety in soils and topography results in a mosaic of damp copses and seasonally flooded meadow communities, maintained here by a long history of coppicing and sympathetic grassland husbandry. The woodland on the site supports a rich invertebrate fauna including over 300 species of moth.^[2]

Activities

The woodland area serves as an excellent location for dog-walkers, hikers, and those looking for solitude. One area of the woods, the gravel pits, are used as ramps and steep dirt-tracks by mountain bikers. This area is known as "death-drop".

References

↑ "SSSI name: Sulham And Tidmarsh Woods And Meadows" (pdf). Natural England. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
↑ "SSSI name: Sulham And Tidmarsh Woods And Meadows". Natural England. 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2009-04-11.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Berkshire

Aldermaston Gravel Pits Ashridge Wood Avery's Pightle Bisham Woods Blackwater Valley Bowdown and Chamberhouse Woods Boxford Chalk Pit Boxford Water Meadows Bray Meadows Bray Pennyroyal Field Briff Lane Meadows Brimpton Pit Broadmoor to Bagshot Woods and Heaths Cannoncourt Farm Pit Catmore and Winterly Copses Chawridge Bourne Chilton Foliat Meadows Cleeve Hill Cock Marsh Cold Ash Quarry Combe Wood, Frilsham Croker's Hole Decoy Pit, Pools and Woods Easton Farm Meadow Enborne Copse Englemere Pond Fognam Chalk Quarry Freeman's Marsh Great Thrift Wood Greenham and Crookham Commons Hampstead Marshall Pit Heath Lake Hog's Hole Holies Down Inkpen and Walbury Hills Inkpen Common Inkpen Crocus Fields Irish Hill Copse Kennet and Lambourn Floodplain Kennet Valley Alderwoods King's Copse Lardon Chase Lodge Wood and Sandford Mill Longmoor Bog Old Copse, Beenham Parkfarm Down Pincent's Kiln Redhill Wood River Kennet River Lambourn Sandhurst to Owlsmoor Bogs and Heaths Seven Barrows Snelsmore Common Stanford End Mill and River Loddon Streatley Warren Sulham and Tidmarsh Woods and Meadows Swinley Park and Brick Pits Thatcham Reed Beds Wasing Wood Ponds Wellington College Bog West Woodhay Down West's Meadow, Aldermaston Westfield Farm Chalk Bank White Shute Windsor Forest and Great Park Winterbourne Chalk Pit Woolhampton Reed Bed Wraysbury and Hythe End Gravel Pits Wraysbury No 1 Gravel Pit Wykery Copse

Neighbouring areas Buckinghamshire Hampshire London Oxfordshire Surrey Wiltshire

Coordinates: 51°27′36″N 1°05′02″W / 51.460°N 1.084°W / 51.460; -1.084

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