Woodland Nature Trail
Trail Overview
Crambeck Village Woodland Nature trail is a narrow strip of land (Gillylees Plantation), at the northern edge of the village, running for about 250 metres along the edge of the Crambeck stream, from the A64 road bridge down to the ‘drain’ at the eastern end of village.
The nature trail was developed in the 1970s, when the land was part of Castle Howard Reformatory. One of the teachers, George Pope, worked with pupils to create the trail and pond. They are said to have catalogued hundreds of species of wildlife, but sadly those records were lost when the Reformatory closed down.
The area upstream is a designated ‘Site of Importance for Nature Conservation’ or SINC thanks to its excellent bio-diversity. The Crambeck stretch also has a good range of wildlife. We have started making our own records of flora and fauna and would welcome any sightings you can add to ours.
Flora and Fauna
Trees – The trail is heavily wooded with mature sycamore, oak, ash and horse chestnut. Smaller trees include hazel, elder, holly, beech, silver birch and guilder rose.
Birds – Bird species sighted here include wren, tree-creeper, nuthatch, great spotted woodpecker, grey wagtail, long-tailed tit and even kingfishers.
Wildflowers – In the spring the woodland is carpeted with wildflowers such as celandine, wood anemone, snowdrop, wild garlic and bluebells. A good range of wildflowers can also be seen around the pond including marsh marigold, flag iris, water forget-me-not, figwort, water avens and purple loosestrife.
Mammals – Field signs / tracks of deer, fox, badger, wood mice and bank voles are commonly seen. We would welcome any recent sightings of otter or water voles here.
Amphibians – Frogs, toads and newts have been seen around the pond area.
Recent improvements to the nature trail
Since the village was established many residents worked on maintaining the nature trail. Recent improvements have included:
Creating a safe access route from the top of the village
Putting up bird boxes – Planting bluebell bulbs and wildflower seeds
Providing a waste bin for dog walkers
Maintenance work on the trees