Tudhoe Mill Wood

Rosa Shafto and Tudhoe Mill are two adjacent woodland nature reserves linked by a footbridge over the Valley Burn. They consist of mixed secondary woodland developed on an ancient woodland site.

Location

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Tudhoe Mill Nature Reserve

Tudhoe

DL16 6LQ

Know before you go

Size

5 hectares

Grazing animals

Walking trails

Access

Terrain: Moderate
Mixed access with good but unsurfaced paths.

Access and Parking
Head north west out of Tudhoe village and after 300m turn left onto Mill Lane for 400m. The reserve entrance is on the left where there is limited roadside parking. If you’re using a Sat Nav, the reserve entrance is about 200m before reaching postcode DL16 6LQ, which is a sewage works and private property

Public Transport
Buses are available from Durham to Bishop Auckland, alighting at Tudhoe but the reserve is some distance on foot from the village. Private transportation is recommended.

Dogs

On a lead

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

March to July

About the reserve

This woodland reserve occupies the site of the former Tudhoe Mill drift mine.

The woodland contains mature stands of sessile oak, beech, ash, wych elm, silver birch and sycamore while the ground flora includes an abundance of ramsons, bluebells and wood-sorrel.

There is also grassland with an abundance of bird’s-foot-trefoil and marshy vegetation that features rushes, common reed, wild angelica and common spotted orchid.

This mosaic of grassland scrub and developing woodlands support numerous woodland birds plus a variety of butterfly species.