Sherrardspark Wood () is a 74.9 hectare (185.1 acre) biological site of Special Scientific Interest in

Welwyn Garden City Welwyn Garden City ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London. It was the second garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first new towns (designated 1948). It is unique in being both a garden city and a new town and ...

, Hertfordshire. The site was notified in 1986 under the

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom implemented to comply with European Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds. In short, the act gives protection to native species (especia ...

. There are a number of walks through the wood, one of which follows the disused

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable a ...

Dunstable Dunstable ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, east of the Chiltern Hills, north of London. There are several steep chalk escarpments, most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the ...

branch line from

Welwyn Garden City railway station Welwyn Garden City railway station serves the town of Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, England. It is from on the East Coast Main Line. Train services are currently provided by Thameslink and Great Northern. History A station named ''W ...

. This line closed in the 1970s and runs from the White Bridge on Digswell Road west and then north to the Great North Road next to the

A1(M) A1(M) is the designation given to a series of four separate motorway sections in England. Each section is an upgrade to a section of the A1, a major north–south road which connects London, the capital of England, with Edinburgh, the capit ...

motorway, close to the Red Lion pub. The trail continues from

Ayot St Peter Ayot St Peter is a village and civil parish in the Welwyn Hatfield district of Hertfordshire, England, about two miles north-west of Welwyn Garden City. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 166. At the 2011 Census the population ...

on the other side of the motorway along Ayot Greenway. Sherrardspark Wood is in the north west of Welwyn Garden City and is an ancient woodland consisting mainly of

Sessile oak ''Quercus petraea'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Cornish oak, Irish Oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an unofficial embl ...

and hornbeam. It is used by dog walkers, joggers, cyclists, and horse riders. The area was designated by English Nature a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1986 as well as a Local Nature Reserve in 1998. The Sherrardspark Wood Wardens' Society assists with the maintenance of the wood.

References

External links

Sherrardspark Wood Wardens' Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherrardspark Wood Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Hertfordshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1986 Local Nature Reserves in Hertfordshire Welwyn Garden City Forests and woodlands of Hertfordshire