Thrift Wood ✦ Ancient woodland 22 ha
Plan your visit
🦉 Wildlife🦅 Birds🍂 Seasonal
Public access Free entry Dogs welcome 22 ha
Places › England › Eastern › Chelmsford Getting here
51.68681, 0.59060
Open directionsv Visiting this summer
Seasonal nature notes and what to look for now
▾ ☀️ June — canopy now fully closed, creating cool dappled shade even on warm days 🐕 Early mornings are best for dog walks in summer — visit before 9am to avoid the heat and find quieter trails 🅿️ Parking 116m away — 4 car parks within reach 🌤️ Visiting this summer
☀️ June — canopy now fully closed, creating cool dappled shade even on warm days 🐕 Early mornings are best for dog walks in summer — visit before 9am to avoid the heat and find quieter trails 🅿️ Parking 116m away — 4 car parks within reach £ Free to visit — no entry charge🐕 Dogs welcome🌿 Ancient woodland — rare wildlife habitat🦉 Wildlife
Very strong match
Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals, Reptiles; Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals, Reptiles
Free
🦅 Bird watching
Very strong match
Birds — Wigeon, Pochard, Shoveler +68 more · last seen 2025; Birds — Wigeon, Pochard, Shoveler +68 more · last seen 2025
Free
🍂 Seasonal nature
Strong match
Ancient woodland — bluebells, fungi and autumn colour; Plants — Perennial Rye-grass, Pedunculate Oak, Wood Avens +15 more · last seen 2024
Free
🦋 Insect spotting
Strong match
Insects — Meadow Brown, Small White, Red Wood Ant +81 more · last seen 2025; Insects — Meadow Brown, Small White, Red Wood Ant +81 more · last seen 2025
Free
Dogs allowed — public woodland
Free
Deciduous woodland — fungi, berries and wild garlic
Varies
Trails nearby Within roughly 5 km 7 signed routes nearby · 4 public paths nearby
Signed route nearby Public paths
Centenary Circle Walking route 34 km ▾
Named route Length 34 km Round trip Regional walking route
Show on map Admiral McHardy Way Walking route ▾
Named route Local walking route
Show on map Blakes Wood to Lingwood Common Walk, Danbury Walking route 4 km ▾
Woodland paths can be hilling in places, with occasional protruding tree roots. Paths can become muddy, suitable footwear is necessary. Not suitable for pushchairs, wheelchairs or cycles. Can be connected with Lingwood trails and Danbury trails.
Named route Length 4 km Duration 01:30 Round trip Local walking route
Show on map Danbury Common to Lingwood Common Walk, Danbury Walking route 2.4 km ▾
Easy walking on a waymarked route. There are grassy tracks and some tree routes. May not be suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs as some areas can get muddy in wet weather and during the winter. Can be connected with Blakes wood and Lingwood trails.
Named route Length 2.4 km Duration 01:00 Round trip Local walking route
Show on map St Peter's Way Walking route 66 km ▾
Named route Length 66 km Regional walking route
Show on map 17 signed routes nearby
Signed route nearby
EuroVelo 2 - Capitals Route - part United Kingdom 8 Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref EV2 International cycle route
Show on map EuroVelo 2 - Capitals Route - part United Kingdom 7 Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref EV2 International cycle route
Show on map NCN National Route 1 Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref 1 National Cycle Network
Show on map EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part United Kingdom Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref EV12 International cycle route
Show on map Main Route Cycling route 1.2 km ▾
Named route Ref 1 Length 1.2 km National Cycle Network Traffic-free Surface unsealedloose
Show on map Main Route Cycling route 227 m ▾
Named route Ref 1 Length 227 m National Cycle Network Traffic-free Surface unsealedloose
Show on map 13 public paths nearby
Public paths
Priory Lane bridleway · 171 m ▾
Public path bridleway Length 171 m Path type: service
Show on map ✦ Ancient woodland — continuously wooded since at least 1600 AD. A rare and irreplaceable habitat, rich in biodiversity and historical character.
Weather for this location Next 14 days Nearby places Useful places within 5 km
All Historic
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id: 7cae7928-11b7-4a74-b7d0-80056e4b576c
UK green spaces mapped from open public data — so anyone can find the woodland, trail, or nature reserve closest to them.
© 2026 Glade · Made with care for UK green spaces
Wildlife to spot
7,818 records · National Biodiversity Network
▾
Wildlife to spot 7,818 records · National Biodiversity Network 🐦 Birds 41 species
spring autumn
2025 ▾
Wigeon · Pochard · Woodpigeon · Carrion Crow · Shoveler +36
Wigeon Mareca penelope Pochard Aythya ferina Woodpigeon Columba palumbus Carrion Crow Corvus corone Shoveler Spatula clypeata Jackdaw Coloeus monedula Magpie Pica pica Robin Erithacus rubecula Rook Corvus frugilegus Starling Sturnus vulgaris Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus Jay Garrulus glandarius Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus Pheasant Phasianus colchicus Blackbird Turdus merula Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Great Tit Parus major Stock Dove Columba oenas Song Thrush Turdus philomelos Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula Coot Fulica atra Garden Warbler Sylvia borin Green Woodpecker Picus viridis Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus Whitethroat Curruca communis Tawny Owl Strix aluco Cuckoo Cuculus canorus Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus Little Egret Egretta garzetta Ruff Calidris pugnax2024 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa2024 Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus2024 Treecreeper Certhia familiaris2024 🦌 Mammals 4 species
spring summer autumn
2025 ▾
Grey Squirrel · Hedgehog · Brown Hare · Muntjac
Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus Brown Hare Lepus europaeus2024 Muntjac Muntiacus reevesi2024 Common Lizard
Common Lizard Zootoca vivipara 7-spot Ladybird · Gorse Shieldbug · Hawthorn Shieldbug · Red-legged Shieldbug · Dark Bush-cricket +39
7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata Gorse Shieldbug Piezodorus lituratus Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale Red-legged Shieldbug Pentatoma rufipes Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera Dock Bug Coreus marginatus Athous haemorrhoidalis Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas
Wildlife to spot 7,818 records · National Biodiversity Network 🐦 Birds 41 species
spring autumn
2025 ▾
Wigeon · Pochard · Woodpigeon · Carrion Crow · Shoveler +36
Wigeon Mareca penelope Pochard Aythya ferina Woodpigeon Columba palumbus Carrion Crow Corvus corone Shoveler Spatula clypeata Jackdaw Coloeus monedula Magpie Pica pica Robin Erithacus rubecula Rook Corvus frugilegus Starling Sturnus vulgaris Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus Jay Garrulus glandarius Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus Pheasant Phasianus colchicus Blackbird Turdus merula Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Great Tit Parus major Stock Dove Columba oenas Song Thrush Turdus philomelos Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula Coot Fulica atra Garden Warbler Sylvia borin Green Woodpecker Picus viridis Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus Whitethroat Curruca communis Tawny Owl Strix aluco Cuckoo Cuculus canorus Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus Little Egret Egretta garzetta Ruff Calidris pugnax2024 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa2024 Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus2024 Treecreeper Certhia familiaris2024 🦌 Mammals 4 species
spring summer autumn
2025 ▾
Grey Squirrel · Hedgehog · Brown Hare · Muntjac
Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus Brown Hare Lepus europaeus2024 Muntjac Muntiacus reevesi2024 Common Lizard
Common Lizard Zootoca vivipara 7-spot Ladybird · Gorse Shieldbug · Hawthorn Shieldbug · Red-legged Shieldbug · Dark Bush-cricket +39
7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata Gorse Shieldbug Piezodorus lituratus Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale Red-legged Shieldbug Pentatoma rufipes Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera Dock Bug Coreus marginatus Athous haemorrhoidalis Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas
Athous haemorrhoidalis
Athous haemorrhoidalis
Sphaerophoria Sphaerophoria2024
Sphaerophoria Sphaerophoria2024
Snail Hunter Cychrus caraboides
Snail Hunter Cychrus caraboides
Stygnocoris sabulosus Stygnocoris sabulosus
Stygnocoris sabulosus Stygnocoris sabulosus
Rhyzobius chrysomeloides Rhyzobius chrysomeloides
Rhyzobius chrysomeloides Rhyzobius chrysomeloides
Pine Ladybird Exochomus quadripustulatus
Pine Ladybird Exochomus quadripustulatus
Rhyzobius litura Rhyzobius litura
Rhyzobius litura Rhyzobius litura
Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum
Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum
Jersey Tiger Euplagia quadripunctaria
Jersey Tiger Euplagia quadripunctaria
Myrmus miriformis Myrmus miriformis
Myrmus miriformis Myrmus miriformis
Common Green Capsid Lygocoris (Lygocoris) pabulinus
Common Green Capsid Lygocoris (Lygocoris) pabulinus
Agnocoris reclairei Agnocoris reclairei
Agnocoris reclairei Agnocoris reclairei
Acalypta parvula Acalypta parvula
Acalypta parvula Acalypta parvula
Issus coleoptratus Issus coleoptratus
Issus coleoptratus Issus coleoptratus
Nephus redtenbacheri Nephus redtenbacheri
Nephus redtenbacheri Nephus redtenbacheri
Stenodema (Brachystira) calcarata Stenodema (Brachystira) calcarata
Stenodema (Brachystira) calcarata Stenodema (Brachystira) calcarata
Southern Oak Bush-cricket Meconema meridionale
Southern Oak Bush-cricket Meconema meridionale
Sicus ferrugineus Sicus ferrugineus
Sicus ferrugineus Sicus ferrugineus
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
Peacock Aglais io
Peacock Aglais io
Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
Shrill Carder Bee Bombus sylvarum
Shrill Carder Bee Bombus sylvarum
Cantharis rustica Cantharis rustica
Cantharis rustica Cantharis rustica
Red-headed Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis
Red-headed Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis
Tortoise Bug Eurygaster testudinaria
Tortoise Bug Eurygaster testudinaria
14-spot Ladybird Propylea quattuordecimpunctata
14-spot Ladybird Propylea quattuordecimpunctata
Green Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus
Green Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus
Common Water-Boatman Notonecta (Notonecta) glauca2024
Common Water-Boatman Notonecta (Notonecta) glauca2024
Sarcophaga Sarcophaga2024
Sarcophaga Sarcophaga2024
Aphrophora alni Aphrophora alni2024
Aphrophora alni Aphrophora alni2024
Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis2024
Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis2024
Meadow Grasshopper Pseudochorthippus parallelus2024
Meadow Grasshopper Pseudochorthippus parallelus2024
Lesser Stag Beetle Dorcus parallelipipedus2024
Lesser Stag Beetle Dorcus parallelipipedus2024
Greater Bulb-Fly Merodon equestris2024
Greater Bulb-Fly Merodon equestris2024
Eristalis tenax Eristalis tenax2024
Eristalis tenax Eristalis tenax2024
Vine Weevil Otiorhynchus sulcatus2024
Vine Weevil Otiorhynchus sulcatus2024
Legnotus limbosus Legnotus limbosus2024
Legnotus limbosus Legnotus limbosus2024
Cantharis fusca Cantharis fusca2024
Cantharis fusca Cantharis fusca2024 Events & activities nearby Switch provider to compare local events, tours and bookable activities.
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