Hart District Council
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Small countryside sites [1]

Royal Oak Valley

Landscape view of Royal Oak Valley wildflower field

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Site information
  • Dog friendly
  • Limited parking available at the back of the Royal Oak Public House
  • Entrances can be found at:
    • Either end from Handford Lane
    • Reading Road
    • Old Welmore
    • Beaver Lane
  • There is some disabled access, but paths are prone to flooding.

All group-led activities must contact the Education Ranger [2] before they visit the site. Further information on organising educational visits can be found on our Education page [3]. 

Where you'll find it

Google maps image of Royal Oak Valley [4]Old Welmore,
Yateley,
Closest postcode: GU46 6XB

 

View Royal Oak Valley destination on Google Maps [5]

 

What you'll find there

This site owes its existence to it being particularly wet throughout the year. It acts as a drainage area during heavy storms and has a stream running throughout the valley, fed from Yateley Common SSSI. Due to this variable water inflow, a mosaic of habitats can be found here, such as wet willow woodland, alder swamp and wet meadow. The project of conserving the wildlife on the site and restoring the Valley to its former glory is an exciting project and has been running for several years. Initially the site was cleared of a large amount of rubbish and the pathways opened up and re-instated to encourage people to begin to use the site once more. We rely heavily on volunteers to carry out management within the valley, such as The Yateley Society conservation [6] volunteers and the Blackwater Valley Countryside [7] volunteers. 

Wildlife

Top 10 species found at Royal Oak Valley:

  1. Alder
  2. Ragged Robin
  3. Frogs
  4. Toads
  5. Common Pipistrelle
  6. Field vole
  7. Roe deer
  8. English oak
  9. Yellow loosestrife
  10. Great Spotted Woodpecker

News and updates
  • No Events are currently scheduled for this site, visit the Guided walks and activities [3] page for updates.
  • If you are interested in helping out with volunteer tasks, visit the Volunteering page [8] for more information.
West Green Common

Landscape wide view image of West Green Common in the snow

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Site information
  • Limited parking availably at the lay-by opposite the entrance to West Green House.
  • Hartley Wintney’s central car park - charges apply
  • Dog friendly
  • Map and noticeboards
  • Bins

All group-led activities must contact the Education Ranger [2] before they visit the site. Further information on organising educational visits can be found on our Education page [3]. 

Where you'll find it

Google image of West Green Common [9]Thackhams Lane,
Hartley Wintney,
Closest postcode: RG27 8JB

 

View West Green Common destination on Google Maps [10]

 

What you'll find there

There are several entrances around the site leading you on an adventure as you weave through this magnificent woodland.

The old trees are the most important feature of the site for their historical significance and the biodiversity that they support – invertebrates, bats and birds; many are associated with the dead wood and the holes and fissures that the trees have developed.

The Common continues to be a woodland with varied habitats for wildlife and a continuity of the historic features which link it to the past. Local residents enjoy it as a peaceful place and contribute to its maintenance as a valued local amenity and resource.

Wildlife

Top 10 species found at West Green Common:

  1. Dormice
  2. Common Pipistrelle
  3. Stag beetles
  4. English oak
  5. Hazel
  6. Roe deer
  7. Great spotted woodpecker
  8. Treecreeper
  9. Hornbeam
  10. Tawny owl

News and updates
  • No Events are currently scheduled for this site, visit the Guided walks and activities [3] page for updates.
  • If you are interested in helping out with volunteer tasks, visit the Volunteering page [8] for more information.
Ashwell's Copse SINC

Landscape wide view image of Ashwell's Copse SINC wildflowers in bloom

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Site information
  • Dog friendly
  • Part of our wild flower areas
  • Biodiversity posts
  • Unsurfaced path
  • No immediate parking facilities
    • 10-15 minutes’ walk from Hook Station
    • 1 minute walk from the number 10 Bus stop on Griffin Way
  • Entrances can be found at:
    • At the end of Four Acre Coppice
    • Several entrances on Griffin Way South

All group-led activities must contact the Education Ranger [2] before they visit the site. Further information on organising educational visits can be found on our Education page [3]. 

Where you'll find it

Google image of Ashwell's Copse SINC [11]Four Acre Coppice,
Hook,
Closest postcode: RG27 9NF

 

View Ashwell's Copse destination on Google Maps [12]

 

What you'll find there

Ashwell’s Copse is a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC). It is situated in a residential area of Hook, close to the A30. Comprising of 0.6 hectares of ancient semi-natural woodland, it is a valuable wooded habitat and a peaceful place to visit. Large oak trees dominate, with an under storey of mainly Hazel and some Holly and Field Maple. In spring the ground flora is dominated by Wood Anemones and Bluebells. The best time to see these woodland flowers is in April and early May when the woodland is awash with colour.

Conservation work will include cyclical coppicing of Hazel to help preserve the health of the many large Oak trees.

News and updates
  • No Events are currently scheduled for this site, visit the Guided walks and activities [3] page for updates.
  • If you are interested in helping out with volunteer tasks, visit the Volunteering page [8] for more information.

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Source URL:https://www.hart.gov.uk/small-countryside-sites

Links
[1] https://www.hart.gov.uk/small-countryside-sites [2] mailto:countryside@hart.gov.uk?subject=Group%20led%20activity [3] https://www.hart.gov.uk/events-activities [4] https://www.google.com/maps/place/Old+Welmore,+Yateley/@51.3363988,-0.8273614,1176m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x48742a73321f70ef:0x225e9ee96e3ee4ff!8m2!3d51.3370545!4d-0.8224619 [5] https://goo.gl/maps/ZvhUBsA7m2ZdPVXK6 [6] https://www.yateleysociety.org.uk/conservation/ [7] http://www.bvct.org.uk/volunteer/ [8] https://www.hart.gov.uk/volunteering [9] https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hartley+Wintney,+Hook+RG27+8JB/@51.3019394,-0.9322404,18z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4874287d7a21701d:0xb2ef0318abb231d7!8m2!3d51.3019536!4d-0.9311179 [10] https://goo.gl/maps/Y3NNKuAfsCvdxgjeA [11] https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ashwell's+Copse/@51.283902,-0.9535704,18z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4874263cc60e73cd:0xf3c65457a7093adb!8m2!3d51.284033!4d-0.9522277 [12] https://goo.gl/maps/62tC3yivSrPZ56nv9