Brampton Wood

Amble down leafy paths through ancient woodland. With 340 plant and 500 fungi species, there are surprises around every corner. And more butterflies, birds and other fauna than you could shake a stick at. That's before you get to the great variety of trees and bushes.

Seek out plums and custard. You're unlikely to see the nocturnal hazel dormouse, but there's a good chance of seeing one of Britain's rarest butterflies, the black hairstreak. Throw in great crested newts, nightingales and longhorn beetles. A great walk to take children, with lots of guides to keep them engaged. Don't forget to bring a picnic. And take a map with you; it's easy to get disorientated in the wood.

Good points of this walk are varied and easy walking with many route options. It's likely the longest walk you could do would be less than three miles. Huge variety of plants and wildlife. Great guides for adults and children. For refreshments you need to take a picnic. Lots of locations to sit and rest. No seats, so take a picnic blanket. A few paths can be muddy. Keep an eye on young children to avoid them touching any fungi. The location is shown below on the Ordnance Survey map. You can also zoom in on a satellite view of the wood at Google Maps.

Brampton Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and one of the few remaining ancient woodlands in Cambridgeshire. At least 900 years old, the wood is home to a dazzling variety of wildlife and plants.

Park in the carpark shown on the map below. There's an information centre near the entrance where you can pick up leaflets. Copies of these are shown below.

There's no point giving a detailed walk description since part of the wood's attraction is to pick your own route. The map below shows the choice of paths.

If you're new to the wood a good option is to walk down the Main Ride and head off along one of the intersecting smaller paths. The first path to the left heading towards The Great Glade is most likely to be muddy. Use one of the alternative routes to The Great Glade when you're ready to picnic.

To access the Brampton Wood information leaflet (copy shown below), click here.

To access the Butterflies of Brampton Wood Field Guide and Checklist, click here.

To view the Friends of Brampton Wood Facebook site to read of recent sightings and check the wood is open, click here.

For a selection of 30 Wildlife Watch Spotting Sheets to keep the kids occupied, click here.

For resources and ideas to keep kids engaged during a walk, click here.

The Main Ride.

One of the many small paths heading off from The Main Ride.

Beautiful autumn colours.

The Great Glade.

Deformities on an oak tree caused by oak apple gall wasp. Oak galls were used in medieval times to make ink.

The following are examples of the many fungi to be found in Brampton Wood.