Church Wood

We are working hard to make our nature reserves safe and ready for our staff, visitors and wildlife. Many have now re-opened in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, although some facilities such as toilets are not yet available. All our other reserves remain closed for now. Please see our COVID-19 updates page for the latest information (link below).

Address: RSPB Church Wood, Village Ln, Hedgerley, SL2 3UY

Grid ref: SU971872

See our updates page to see which reserves are open.

This tranquil woodland is a beautiful place for a quiet stroll. In the spring, dappled sunshine shines through the woodland canopy lighting the stunning bluebell glades. A circular walk gives you the best opportunity to see Church Wood's most common birds, including blackcaps, chiffchaffs, robins and thrushes.

Plan your visit

Open at all times.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free

Children: Free

Facilities

Nature trails

Accessibility

Download full accessibility statement (PDF)

How to get here

By train

The closest station is Gerrards Cross.

By bus

You can catch the No. 40 bus (Slough to Hedgerley) or the No. 74 (Slough to Farnham Common)

By road

About 3 miles (4.8km) from junction 2 M40 in Hedgerley village, where you should park. Walk down private track to right of village pond. Follow footpath for 200m (0.1 mile). Reserve entrance is on left through kissing gate.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Get directions from Google Maps

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

15 degrees, Sunny day

Contact Church Wood

RSPB Church Wood, Village Ln, Hedgerley, SL2 3UY
admin.otmoor@rspb.org.uk
01865 351163

What will you see?

Our star species

Buzzard

Buzzards can be seen circling overhead throughout the year.

Great spotted woodpecker

Look and listen for great spotted woodpeckers anywhere on the reserve.

Jay

Watch for them searching for (and burying) acorns in autumn.

Nuthatch

Nuthatches are very charismatic residents of Church Wood.

Treecreeper

In autumn and winter, they often join large flocks of tits and other birds.

Throughout spring, you should hear a variety of woodland birds including great, blue and coal tits, greenfinches, chaffinches, blackbirds, song thrushes, great spotted and green woodpeckers establishing territories. Brimstone butterflies are among the early species often seen.

During summer months, the birds are less obvious, busy feeding their young. In the open, coppiced areas, you may find white admiral butterflies, while along the southern hedge, red admiral, marbled white, comma and peacock butterflies might be spotted.

In autumn, you will notice an increase in the number of garden bird species in the wood, as well as visitors such as fieldfare and redwing. The leaves changing on the beech, hazel, ash and field maple add extra colour to the wood.

In winter, you will hear mistle or song thrushes singing on bright days, and possibly see goldcrests, lesser redpolls and treecreepers on the trees. Buzzards and red kites can often be seen circling overhead. You are likely to startle a roe or muntjac deer.

About Church Wood

Habitat

Church Wood is managed with minimal intervention to allow dead wood to provide natural habitats for wildlife. Non-native species such as sycamore, which grow rapidly and eventually shade out less competitive species, are removed or thinned. The meadow is mown annually to enable wildflowers to flourish and the grass mowings are heaped up into piles for insects and reptiles to bask on in warm sunshine.

The woodland's glades and rides provide vital habitat for insects and butterflies, so these are managed as open spaces to let the sun in.

Conservation

Modest management, with regular support from two groups of local volunteers, ensures a superb and very beautiful local amenity. In summer, volunteers prevent the network of paths from becoming overgrown with vegetation, so that visitors can enjoy walking through the wood; the woodland is also inspected regularly in case of a fallen tree on a path.

This nature reserve is supported by various charitable trusts, RSPB local groups and supporters.

Site information

Church Wood is a small reserve located in the Chilterns. The wood covers roughly 35 acres.

This is a beautiful place for a quiet woodland walk. You can take a stroll along dappled paths through beech, ash and oak trees.

Activities and events

Leisure activities

Church Wood has a signposted circular walk along undulating paths.

Marshside

Lytchett Fields

Arne

Church Wood