Helen Walsh
Finemere Wood
Please note: HS2 Ltd will close Edgcott Road on 27 October, 2020 for two days. We do not know yet if other closures are planned. Roadside parking is currently inaccessible.
HS2 Ltd have closed a section of Shipton Lee Road. We apologise for the inconvenience - we were not given warning by HS2. We are seeking information about how long the closure is due to last and will keep this page up to date. We are doing everything we can to limit the impact of HS2's work on visitors to our site. If you have questions, please contact the HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk
Location
near Quainton
OS Map Reference
SP 721 215
Know before you go
Entry fee
NoParking information
2 miles east of Edgcott on unclassified rd towards Quainton, 100m east of pylons crossing rd there is track on left. Park on hard verge, walk down track to reserve.Grazing animals
YesWalking trails
1.5 mile Wildlife Walk through reserve plus other permissive paths.
Access
Flat, muddy when when wet, some stumps and roots; five short bridges; benches throughout reserve.
Dogs
When to visit
Opening times
Open at all timesBest time to visit
All year roundAbout the reserve
Woodland flowers
Throughout the year, Finemere Wood has the thrilling atmosphere of a very old, wild place. Spring is particularly special when the rides are edged with primroses, and bluebells carpet the woodland floor. If you look closely, you can find wood spurge, wood anemone, early-purple orchid or greater butterfly-orchid. In the sunnier coppiced areas, lesser celandine and dog's mercury appear early, and in the summer, hairy St. John's-wort and willowherb take advantage of the clearings. An impressive 200 species of flowers have been recorded here.
Historic meadow
At the heart of the wood you will find a sheltered haven of rough pasture and thickets. Traditional grazing has encouraged the return of plants such as ragged-robin and cuckooflower in the spring and saw-wort, betony and devil's-bit scabious in the summer. In the autumn, the low sun highlights the seed heads of grasses like wood small-reed and tufted hair-grass. A good variety of bees buzz around the meadows throughout the summer. Butterflies abound This nature reserve is one of the best places to spot the magnificent purple emperor. Head for the main ride in July and August. Its smaller cousin, the white admiral, thrives here as well, particularly around trailing honeysuckle leaves. A warm summer may bring an influx of silver-washed fritillaries that hunt out patches of violets for their caterpillars to feed on.
Regal history
Finemere was once used by kings and queens for hunting wild boar. Along with Rushbeds Wood and Whitecross Green nature reserves, also in Buckinghamshire, it was a part of the ancient Royal Forest of Bernwood. BBOWT is currently reviving this ancient landscape in a three-year conservation project.
Things to do
Try our circular Wildlife Walk (1.5 miles). Just follow the badger waymarkers.
Look out for our seasonal guided walks.
Your Finemere Wood photographs
Share your photographs of Finemere Wood with us! Just add them to our BBOWT flickr group, and tag them with 'finemerewood'.
Species
Contact us
Environmental designation
Ramblings from Finemere Wood
Read volunteer warden, Charlotte Karmali's blogs about the volunteer group at Finemere Wood
Volunteer with us
Our volunteers help us in so many ways - by working on nature reserves, helping at visitor centres, leading walks, training others and much, much more. Without our volunteers we would not be able to carry out much of our work.
For more information about volunteering for BBOWT, please get in touch with volunteering@bbowt.org.uk