Wolves Wood

Address: RSPB Wolves Wood, A1071, Ipswich IP7 6BG

Grid ref: TM054437

Wolves Wood is a woodland near Hadleigh in Suffolk and is one of seven ancient woodland areas which used to cover East Anglia. A wide range of birds can be seen all year-round, including nightingales nesting in the hedgerows and great spotted woodpeckers foraging high in the trees.

Plan your visit

Open at all times.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free, but donations are very welcome.

Children: Free, but donations are very welcome.

Facilities

No visitor centre
Car park
Toilets off-site
Accessible toilets off-site
No Refreshments
Nature trails
Shop off-site

Accessibility

Download full accessibility statement (PDF)

How to get here

By train

The nearest station is Ipswich, 8 miles (12.8 km) away. From Old Cattle Market bus station, take 90, 91 or 94 bus and request driver to stop at Wolves Wood. Please note that the driver is not obliged to do so.

By bus

The nearest bus stop is Magdelen Street, Hadleigh. Take public footpath and bridleways north-east from the town centre past Durrant's Farm.

By road

From Hadleigh town centre, head north up Angel Street. At the junction of the A1071, turn right towards Ipswich. The reserve is signposted after a mile.

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.

Other ways to get there

It is possible to take the public footpath and public bridleway from the centre of Hadleigh which passes Durrant's Farm.

Get directions from Google Maps

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

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Contact Wolves Wood

RSPB Wolves Wood, A1071, Ipswich IP7 6BG
stourestuary@rspb.org.uk
01206 391153
@RSPB_S_Suffolk
Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

Garden warbler

In spring and summer, listen for the garden warbler's exuberant, bubbling song.

Great spotted woodpecker

Great spotted woodpeckers can be seen foraging high up in the trees.

Marsh tit

Less colourful than other members of the tit family, marsh tits can often be seen foraging for food.

Nightingale

Listen for their incredibly rich, musical song in late April and May.

Sparrowhawk

From winter onwards, look for sparrowhawks displaying high above the trees on sunny days.

In spring, nightingales, chiffchaffs, blackcaps, garden warblers, woodpeckers, treecreepers, tits (including marsh tits) and other common woodland species.

Birds quieten down in summer. Look up around the canopy of oak trees for purple hairstreak butterflies on warm June/July evenings. Twelve species of dragonfly and damselfly occur in the woods and can be seen.

Autumn sees spectacular leaf change as greens turn to golds, browns, reds and yellows. The first woodcocks arrive in mid-October to spend the winter months in the wood and may be accidentally flushed from beside the visitor trail by visitors.

The wood is very quiet in winter. Marsh tits are present all year round and will join the roving flocks of the more common tit species, along with goldcrests and treecreepers. Small flocks of redwings and fieldfares often use the wood, along with siskins and lesser redpolls - all winter visitors.

About Wolves Wood

Habitat

The geography of the land at Wolves Wood tells us why it was spared from development into farmland – it sits on a plateau, and the boulder clay ensures the soil does not drain very well, so it would not have been an attractive proposition for farmers of old. Historically, it would have been coppiced for firewood and building materials.

When the RSPB bought the land in the 1970's this coppicing regime was reinstated, meaning there are always areas of woodland of different heights and stages of development, which has great benefits for wildlife. Every year a system of 'rides' are mown, which ensures that there are areas of grass and wildflowers for the benefit of butterflies and other insects.

Conservation

The RSPB manages the woodland using the traditional method of coppicing, cutting between 1 and 2 hectares every year, on a 15 year rotation. In the first year or so after this, the wildflower seeds dormant in the soil spring to life, and the open sunny area comes to life with sun-loving insects.

The trees grow back from the coppice 'stools', giving thick, impenetrable cover which is fantastic for many nesting birds, including nightingales, dunnocks, and blackcaps, garden and several other warblers. Strangely, woodland managed in this way is much more diverse and full of life than woodland just left to grow indefinitely, although we do also have areas of non-intervention woodland within the woods.

Over the last decade, the RSPB has been reversing some of the ancient systems of drainage within the wood, as it is understood that by keeping the wood wetter for longer after winter, we will be protecting the plant and animal life from the drying effects of climate change in years to come.

Site information

Wolves Wood is one of seven ancient woodland areas within Suffolk. This reserve is one of the few remnants of the ancient woodland which used to cover East Anglia. Records show that there has been woodland here since at least the 1600s.

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