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Dunkery & Horner Wood National Nature Reserve
covers 1604 hectares and is owned and managed by the National Trust and lies within the Holnicote Estate. It comprises a large area of upland heath around Dunkery Hill and Horner Wood which clothes the steep valleys to the north.
Horner Wood is an ancient oakwood and home to the pied flycatcher, wood warbler, lesser spotted woodpecker, redstart and dipper. It is an important site for mosses, liverworts, lichens and ferns and supports 14 of the 16 UK bat species, including breeding roosts of barbastelle and Bechstein bats.
The upland area has a range of heathland habitats, from 'true' upland around Dunkery Beacon (519m) down to lowland heath. Plants include fir and stagshorn clubmoss, Cornish moneywort and cranberry. Colonies of heath fritillary butterflies breed in the sheltered combes where cow wheat grows amongst the bilberries. Birds include stonechat, whinchat, curlew and merlin.
Best times to visit are:
Mid-April to August for moorland and woodland birds June and July for butterflies Autumn and winter for Red deer All vear round for lichens and mosses
The woods around Porlock such as Horner Wood look like enchanted forests from a fairytale. They have been wooded continuously since the time of the original virgin forest which used to cover much of England and Wales. They are home to many creatures, including Tawny Owls, Green Woodpeckers, Stoats, Slow Worms, Weasels and Squirrels and Hedgehogs.
Although they untouched by human hand the woods have actively been managed extensively for hundreds, if not thousands of years.
Most of the trees are Sessile Oaks, which until 80 years ago were pollarded or coppiced to provide bark for tanning and wood for local industrial and domestic use and in their heyday the woods provided bark for all the local tanneries as well as enough to export to Ireland and Wales.
On 18th October 1995, 1620 hectares of the Holnicote Estate were declared a National Nature Reserve by English Nature.
Access
it is free public access over the whole of this NNR.
Exmoor holds the most extensive area of tall, mature upland heather anywhere in southern Britain and the moorland around Dunkery is the finest example of this habitat.
The north-facing slopes of the higher ground are dominated by common heather (Ling) and Bilberry. To the west, areas of wet heath support plants that are more common in northern Britain, including Cranberry, Crowberry, Lesser Twayblade and Clubmosses.
A range of upland birds breed on the moor including Merlin, Ring Ousel, Stonechat, Whinchat and a few introduced Red Grouse
Lowland Heath
The lower slopes of the moorland support important areas of lowland heath types. This habitat is restricted to Wales and parts of south-west England. Here a mixture of Western gorse, Bell heather and Bristle Bent Grass form the characteristic vegetation.
A notable feature of this National Nature Reserve is the transition between different lowland and upland habitats. It is this zone, particularly in areas of Bracken and Cow Wheat, that supports the largest stronghold in Britain of the rare and specially protected heath fritillary Butterfly.
Horner Wood is one of the most extensive ancient semi-natural woodlands in England. The predominantly closed canopy of sessile oak shades a grazed woodland floor, comprised of heathland plants, ferns, mosses and liverworts. The combination of ancient trees and the policy of leaving dead wood in situ produces an excellent habitat for fungi and lichens.
The Horner Water flowing through the valley bottom produces more humid conditions, ideal for ferns, including the rare Filmy Fern. This wood has long been recognised as amongst the richest lichen sites in the country. More than 200 species have been recorded, including all 4 species of the rare Lobarion lichen.
The Exmoor Red deer form one of the largest concentrations in England. Large numbers range over the site and Horner Wood is a traditional harbourage for the herds. Whilst this can cause problems in terms of woodland regeneration, the deer are useful in retaining the open character of this grazed woodland, which is the preferred habitat of the Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler.
As part of our management plan for the National Nature Reseve a swaling (burning) programme has been devised based on a 15 year rotation. Small areas of 3-6 hectares are burned to ensure a diversity of age and structure of the heathland vegetation. Old heather is of particular value for breeding birds, invertebrates, mosses and lichens. An important part of the management is a long-term commitment to protect at least 30% of the heath against fire.
The size of Horner Wood offers a rare opportunity to manage through a policy of non-intervention. The future of this wood will be governed as far as possible by natural processes. A programme of monitoring and research into such aspects as grazing, natural regeneration, public access and education will ensure that any impact from practical management is kept to a minimum.
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