Short birdwatching visit · Herefordshire Wildlife Trust
Lea and Pagets Wood
- Tier
- Good stop nearby
- Best season
- April and May dawn chorus (operator recommendation)
- Headline birds
- Pied Flycatcher · Wood Warbler
- Parking
- The Trust lists room for two cars in the Hawkers Lane hilltop layby.
- Hides
- Not stated by the operator
- Step-free
- There are no surfaced paths or wheelchair access.
Hawkers Lane layby approach, Fownhope
Lea and Pagets Wood offers an ancient-woodland listening walk on the slopes of the Woolhope Dome. The Trust names Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler for the reserve, alongside Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Jay. Its oak-and-ash canopy and varied understorey provide a different Herefordshire visit from open-water hides. Use the public footpath from Hawkers Lane rather than trying to enter directly across adjoining fields. The woodland track can remain damp and become very slippery in winter. Parts of the old quarry in Church Wood have unguarded near-vertical drops, so keep to suitable established paths.
Birds and seasons
- Pied Flycatcher · Headline bird — Season not stated by the source Source for Pied Flycatcher
- Wood Warbler · Headline bird — Season not stated by the source Source for Wood Warbler
- Nuthatch — Season not stated Source for Nuthatch
- Treecreeper — Season not stated Source for Treecreeper
- Jay — Season not stated Source for Jay
Plan your visit
- Hides and viewpoints
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Paths
- Unsurfaced woodland tracks can be muddy and treacherous; avoid the old quarry edges.
- Toilets
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Parking
- The Trust lists room for two cars in the Hawkers Lane hilltop layby.
- Dogs
- Dogs must stay on leads.
- Access notes
- There are no surfaced paths or wheelchair access.
- Step-free access
- There are no surfaced paths or wheelchair access.
Getting there: From Fownhope, take Hawkers Lane to the crest beyond the Common Hill Lane junction. Follow the signed footpath on the right; the layby is a little farther along. The operator map locates the reserve rather than an exact parking bay.
Sources
Social preview: original typographic artwork by Does Your Duck Quack.
Nearby special trips
- Highnam Woods · 14.9 straight-line miles
- Peterstone Wentlooge Marshes · 39.4 straight-line miles
- Stiperstones National Nature Reserve · 41.9 straight-line miles
Continue birding nearby
Nearest full guide: RSPB Nagshead, 16.2 miles away in a straight line.
- Wessington Pasture · 0.8 miles in a straight line
- Lugg Meadow · 5.1 miles in a straight line
- Bodenham Lake · 11.2 miles in a straight line