← Back🌳 Broadleaved woodland

Holcombe Wood

✦ Ancient woodland14 ha

📷 Derek Harper · Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0

WildlifeBirdsDogs

Public accessFree entryDogs welcome14 ha

Getting here

50.82775, -2.45989

Open directionsv

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Visiting this summer

Seasonal nature notes and what to look for now

🌞Midsummer — early morning visits most comfortable; look for deer fawns in quieter clearings
🐕Early mornings are best for dog walks in summer — visit before 9am to avoid the heat and find quieter trails
📍Open access throughout summer — no booking required

🌤️ Visiting this summer

🌞Midsummer — early morning visits most comfortable; look for deer fawns in quieter clearings
🐕Early mornings are best for dog walks in summer — visit before 9am to avoid the heat and find quieter trails
📍Open access throughout summer — no booking required

Good to know

£Free to visit — no entry charge
🐕Dogs welcome
🌿Ancient woodland — rare wildlife habitat

Best for

10 activities

Wildlife

Very strong match

Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds; Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds

Free

Bird watching

Strong match

Birds — Woodpigeon, Wren, Pheasant +46 more · last seen 2025; Birds — Woodpigeon, Wren, Pheasant +46 more · last seen 2025

Free

Dog walks

Strong match

Dogs allowed — public woodland

Free

Seasonal nature

Strong match

Ancient woodland — bluebells, fungi and autumn colour

Free

Insect spotting

Strong match

Insects — Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Gatekeeper +41 more · last seen 2025; Insects — Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Gatekeeper +41 more · last seen 2025

Free

Foraging

Good match

Deciduous woodland — fungi, berries and wild garlic

Varies

Trails nearby

Within roughly 5 km

🚶

Walking

1 signed route nearby · 3 public paths nearby

Signed route nearbyPublic paths

Wessex RidgewayWalking route

Named routeRef WRRegional walking route

🚵

Mountain biking

1 signed route nearby

Signed route nearby

Wessex Ridgeway TrailMountain bike route

Named routeListed length 207km

🐴

Horse riding

11 public paths nearby

Public paths

Rousiball Lanebridleway · 1.7 km

Public pathbridlewayLength 1.7 kmPath type: bridleway

Wildlife to spot

20,421 records · National Biodiversity Network

Wildlife to spot

20,421 records · National Biodiversity Network

🐦

Birds52 species

springsummer

2025

Woodpigeon · Wren · Pheasant · Buzzard · Great Tit +47

WoodpigeonColumba palumbus
WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
PheasantPhasianus colchicus
BuzzardButeo buteo
Great TitParus major
Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
MallardAnas platyrhynchos
BlackbirdTurdus merula
Coal TitPeriparus ater
RobinErithacus rubecula
RavenCorvus corax
Carrion CrowCorvus corone
ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
GoldcrestRegulus regulus
Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
RookCorvus frugilegus
TreecreeperCerthia familiaris
JackdawColoeus monedula
Red KiteMilvus milvus
Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
MoorhenGallinula chloropus
ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
Mute SwanCygnus olor
NuthatchSitta europaea
GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
DunnockPrunella modularis
Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
SwallowHirundo rustica
House MartinDelichon urbicum
Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus
GreenfinchChloris chloris
BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
TealAnas crecca
Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
Grey HeronArdea cinerea
KestrelFalco tinnunculus
Canada GooseBranta canadensis
StonechatSaxicola rubicola
Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
Sand MartinRiparia riparia
BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
WhitethroatCurruca communis
SiskinSpinus spinus
Stock DoveColumba oenas
House SparrowPasser domesticus
YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella2024
Buteo buteo buteoButeo buteo buteo2024
MagpiePica pica2024
Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea2024
Pied WagtailMotacilla alba yarrellii2024
SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus2024

🐸

Amphibians1 species

summer

2025

Common Toad

Common ToadBufo bufo

🐝

Insects44 species

summer

2025

Meadow Brown · Small Heath · Gatekeeper · Marbled White · Common Blue +39

Meadow BrownManiola jurtina2024
Small HeathCoenonympha pamphilus2024
GatekeeperPyronia tithonus2024
Marbled WhiteMelanargia galathea2024
Common BluePolyommatus icarus2024
Small WhitePieris rapae2024
Small SkipperThymelicus sylvestris2024
Green-veined WhitePieris napi2024
Grizzled SkipperPyrgus malvae2024
Dingy SkipperErynnis tages2024
Brown ArgusAricia agestis2024
Large WhitePieris brassicae2024
BrimstoneGonepteryx rhamni2024
RingletAphantopus hyperantus2024
Red AdmiralVanessa atalanta2024
Speckled WoodPararge aegeria2024
Adonis BluePolyommatus bellargus2024
Marsh FritillaryEuphydryas aurinia2024
PeacockAglais io2024
Large SkipperOchlodes sylvanus2024
Duke of BurgundyHamearis lucina2024
Painted LadyVanessa cardui2024
Eristalis pertinaxEristalis pertinax
Azure DamselflyCoenagrion puella
Large Red DamselflyPyrrhosoma nymphula
Small TortoiseshellAglais urticae2024
Orange-tipAnthocharis cardamines2024
Harlequin LadybirdHarmonia axyridis
WallLasiommata megera2024
Rhododendron LeafhopperGraphocephala fennahi
Green ShieldbugPalomena prasina
Red-headed Cardinal BeetlePyrochroa serraticornis
Essex SkipperThymelicus lineola2024
Small CopperLycaena phlaeas2024
Broad-bodied ChaserLibellula depressa2024
Glow-wormLampyris noctiluca2024
Melanostoma scalareMelanostoma scalare2024
7-spot LadybirdCoccinella septempunctata2024
Harmonia axyridis form succineaHarmonia axyridis form succinea2024
Black Oil-beetleMeloe proscarabaeus2024
SyrphusSyrphus2024
Small Bloody-nosed BeetleTimarcha goettingensis2024
Common Flower BugAnthocoris nemorum2024
Harmonia axyridis form conspicuaHarmonia axyridis form conspicua2024

Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas

Wildlife to spot

20,421 records · National Biodiversity Network

🐦

Birds52 species

springsummer

2025

Woodpigeon · Wren · Pheasant · Buzzard · Great Tit +47

WoodpigeonColumba palumbus
WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
PheasantPhasianus colchicus
BuzzardButeo buteo
Great TitParus major
Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
MallardAnas platyrhynchos
BlackbirdTurdus merula
Coal TitPeriparus ater
RobinErithacus rubecula
RavenCorvus corax
Carrion CrowCorvus corone
ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
GoldcrestRegulus regulus
Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
RookCorvus frugilegus
TreecreeperCerthia familiaris
JackdawColoeus monedula
Red KiteMilvus milvus
Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
MoorhenGallinula chloropus
ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
Mute SwanCygnus olor
NuthatchSitta europaea
GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
DunnockPrunella modularis
Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
SwallowHirundo rustica
House MartinDelichon urbicum
Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus
GreenfinchChloris chloris
BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
TealAnas crecca
Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
Grey HeronArdea cinerea
KestrelFalco tinnunculus
Canada GooseBranta canadensis
StonechatSaxicola rubicola
Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
Sand MartinRiparia riparia
BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
WhitethroatCurruca communis
SiskinSpinus spinus
Stock DoveColumba oenas
House SparrowPasser domesticus
YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella2024
Buteo buteo buteoButeo buteo buteo2024
MagpiePica pica2024
Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea2024
Pied WagtailMotacilla alba yarrellii2024
SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus2024

🐸

Amphibians1 species

summer

2025

Common Toad

Common ToadBufo bufo

🐝

Insects44 species

summer

2025

Meadow Brown · Small Heath · Gatekeeper · Marbled White · Common Blue +39

Meadow BrownManiola jurtina2024
Small HeathCoenonympha pamphilus2024
GatekeeperPyronia tithonus2024
Marbled WhiteMelanargia galathea2024
Common BluePolyommatus icarus2024
Small WhitePieris rapae2024
Small SkipperThymelicus sylvestris2024
Green-veined WhitePieris napi2024
Grizzled SkipperPyrgus malvae2024
Dingy SkipperErynnis tages2024
Brown ArgusAricia agestis2024
Large WhitePieris brassicae2024
BrimstoneGonepteryx rhamni2024
RingletAphantopus hyperantus2024
Red AdmiralVanessa atalanta2024
Speckled WoodPararge aegeria2024
Adonis BluePolyommatus bellargus2024
Marsh FritillaryEuphydryas aurinia2024
PeacockAglais io2024
Large SkipperOchlodes sylvanus2024
Duke of BurgundyHamearis lucina2024
Painted LadyVanessa cardui2024
Eristalis pertinaxEristalis pertinax
Azure DamselflyCoenagrion puella
Large Red DamselflyPyrrhosoma nymphula
Small TortoiseshellAglais urticae2024
Orange-tipAnthocharis cardamines2024
Harlequin LadybirdHarmonia axyridis
WallLasiommata megera2024
Rhododendron LeafhopperGraphocephala fennahi
Green ShieldbugPalomena prasina
Red-headed Cardinal BeetlePyrochroa serraticornis
Essex SkipperThymelicus lineola2024
Small CopperLycaena phlaeas2024
Broad-bodied ChaserLibellula depressa2024
Glow-wormLampyris noctiluca2024
Melanostoma scalareMelanostoma scalare2024
7-spot LadybirdCoccinella septempunctata2024
Harmonia axyridis form succineaHarmonia axyridis form succinea2024
Black Oil-beetleMeloe proscarabaeus2024
SyrphusSyrphus2024
Small Bloody-nosed BeetleTimarcha goettingensis2024
Common Flower BugAnthocoris nemorum2024
Harmonia axyridis form conspicuaHarmonia axyridis form conspicua2024

Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas

Wildlife to spot

Photos

📷 Derek Harper · Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0

Cereal crop above Holcombe Wood

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Nearby places

Useful places within 5 km

✦Cerne AbbeyHistoric site2.2 km→✦Churchyard crossHistoric site2.2 km→✦Minterne HouseHistoric site1.8 km→🦉HILFIELD HILLNature reserve4.1 km→🌱Kettle Bridge Picnic SiteUrban park2.2 km→✦Field system and settlement on Watcombe PlainHistoric site3.4 km→

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