Woodlands.co.uk

SOLD: Bown Croft Wood £92,000 Freehold

  • Brafferton, near Boroughbridge, Easingwold and Thirsk, North Yorkshire
  • over 5 ½ acres.
  • Northern England

Description

Bown Croft Wood is comprised of a well balanced mix of mature trees and younger regeneration.

On arrival at the ride stop, the trees between the track and the drain include a number of magnificent old oaks, some possibly 200 years old, as well as maturing conifers, mostly spruce and Scots pine, around 35 years old. The shade provided by the canopy here is very welcome on a hot sunny day.

Across the watercourse, the trees are generally younger. Conifers were felled in this section of the wood around 14 years ago and it is mostly native broadleaved trees that are regenerating, with the odd fir seedling. Birch, goat willow, oak, hazel and hawthorn are growing back and the trees are already beginning to form a new canopy. Occasionally, there is an older birch or oak that have been useful seed trees.

The wood is classed as a PAWS, a planted ancient woodland site and there are many species associated with the old forest. Bluebells are abundant throughout the wood and foxgloves are very successful in the sunnier spots. Wild rose and viburnum can be found along the track edges and there are a number of different types of fern growing.

At the western edge of the wood, a belt of mature Corsican pine border the pasture land, as well as aspen and larger birch trees.

The purchasers of the woodland will be asked to enter into a covenant

Trees

The main body of the wood is birch, hazel, blackthorn, oak, rowan and willow with dog rose, viburnum and blackberry. Several large pine trees border the pasture to the west.

The area near the ride-stop is mostly tall spruce and pine with some large oak trees.

Wildlife

Being part of a bigger forest, Bown Croft Wood is rich in wildlife. Inhabited by a wide range of woodland birds, buzzards and tawny owls are never very far away. Blackbirds, chiff chaffs, robins and wrens love the denser areas of undergrowth, the insects and the berries found amongst the array of plants that grow here.

Deer, fox, brown hare and badger all pass through. Look out for their tracks and signs.

Flocks of tits move through the canopy and woodpeckers and tree creepers can often be seen too.

Features

The watercourse is a very beneficial draw for wildlife and the grass and flower-filled tracks and rides are a haven for butterflies and bees.

Part way into the wood, a glade has been cleared where a bench is situated: a great spot to sit and infuse the healing power of the natural surroundings.

Access, tracks and footpaths

The ride-stop entrance to the wood is reached on good stone tracks and from here, a footpath leads through the tall trees to a timber footbridge, spanning the watercourse.

Within the younger part of Bown Croft, a path weaves through the trees, crossing a bluebell and foxglove-filled grassy track that crosses north-south. The path continues on until the western boundary is reached and a path, which has been mown in the past, runs along its length.

Rights and covenants

The shooting and mineral rights are included in the sale.

There are no public rights of way in the wood.

The internal drainage board has a right of access to maintain the watercourse.

Activities

The wood is an ideal project wood for an owner who would like to keep fit and active, shaping this ancient wood for future generations. For instance, clearing glades amongst the birch and bracken and carrying out planting to further diversify the woodland species.

Thinning some of the conifers near the entrance could be beneficial for the old oaks too and a more open spacing would help the pines and spruces reach their potential too.

There’s no shortage of firewood and the new owner may enjoy sitting around a campfire with friends and family on occasion, listening to the owls hoot as the dusk draws in.

Local area and history

The wood takes its name, Bown Croft, from a neighbouring field name, labelled on the 1794 map of the Manor of Brafferton. Bown is likely to have been a family name. Brafferton is a charming village, situated on the eastern bank of the River Swale, the location has been an important strategic crossing point for centuries. In the centre of the village is a block of buildings erected in 1873, by the late James Coates esq. (d. 1905), comprising of a reading room, institute, a cottage hospital and four almshouses for widows. An attractive fountain was also erected in 1897.

Wood maps

This wood is now sold, please do not visit the wood without the permission of the owner.

Find this wood

This wood is now sold, please do not visit the wood without the permission of the owner.

Location

  • OS Landranger: OS No. 99
  • Grid ref: SE 459 710
  • Nearest post code: YO61 2SE
  • GPS coordinates: 54.1349, -1.31056

Location map

Directions

Bown Croft Wood is just 20 miles from York, 15 miles from Ripon, 26 miles from Harrogate and 6 miles from Boroughbridge.

For Directions From Bing Maps CLICK HERE, enter your own postcode (wood entrance coordinates are already entered) and click on the blue "Go" box.

For Satnav; the postcode YO61 2SE is for the point shown by the red dot on the location map and coordinates are: N54:07:54 and W1:17:58

Or use our directions:

From the A1

  • Exit the A1 at junction 48 and follow signs Ripon and Dishforth on to the A 6055
  • At the next roundabout take the third exit on to Roecliffe Lane.
  • Follow this road until you give way at a T junction and then turn left.
  • Continue over the river and at the canal bridge roundabout take the second exit.
  • Take the first right turn to Milby.
  • Continue on this road until required to give way at a T junction and then turn right over Thornton bridge.
  • Continue along this road into Brafferton and at the give way T junction turn left.
  • Follow West Moor Road for about 1 mile until you reach the Woodlands for Sale sign on the left.

From York via the A19:-

  • Just after the Easingwold roundabout take the left turn signed for Raskelf / Tholthorpe / Helperby
  • Follow the road into Raskelf and at the cross roads in the centre of Raskelf turn right on to West Moor Road.
  • Follow West Moor Road until you reach the Woodlands for Sale sign on your right.

Please park near to our gate but please do leave it clear for access.

  • Climb the gate and walk along the access track for about 300 metres.
  • Where the track forks, after the huts near the entrance, take the left fork and follow the main track round a right hand bend, continue straight on for about 150m
  • Take the stoned track that is off to the left.
  • After about 120m this stoned track turns left and the entrance to Bown Croft Wood is about 80m further on, on your right.

How we support our buyers

Membership of the small woodland owners’ group

£300 for a woodland course of your choice

One year's free membership of the royal forestry society

Our regional managers are often out working in our woodlands, so if you email an offer and want to be sure it has been received, please phone our manager on their mobile phone. The first offer at the stated price which is accepted, whether by phone or email, has priority.

Please take care when viewing as the great outdoors can contain unexpected hazards and woodlands are no exception. You should exercise common sense and caution, such as wearing appropriate footwear and avoiding visiting during high winds.

These particulars are for guidance only and, though believed to be correct, do not form part of any contract.

A private and peaceful woodland, abundant with wildlife, on a planted ancient woodland site (PAWS)

Managed by Liz Watson

Telephone: 07985 548481

Email: [email protected]