Exploring the Cotehele estate

Spotting bats  

The UK is reportedly home to 17 species of bat and eight of those have been found in recent surveys on the Cotehele estate. They tend to roost in hollowed trees, the eaves of holiday cottages and limekilns on Cotehele Quay. Colonies of lesser horeshoe bats also roost in some of the house’s chimneys. 

Other species that have been recorded at Cotehele include pipistelle, noctule, natter’s and daubenton’s. Daubenton’s are also known as ‘water bats’ and can be seen catching insects from the water’s surface. 

Bats throughout the seasons 

Bats hibernate over the winter, which helps them save energy at a time when it’s cold and there’s less food available. Spring, however, is a busy time for the small flying mammals. They come out of hibernation around March and April, both hungry and active.  

They busy themselves hunting for insects and, by May, the females are roosting in maternity colonies, preparing to have their pups.  

Where and when to spot bats 

Spring is the best time to spot bats, particularly while they’re out hunting in the early evening. As the days get longer into the summer they’ll emerge later at night.  

The best place to spot bats is down on Cotehele Quay in the evening, where you can watch them swooping overhead and feeding on the river. Each species can be identified from their unique high frequency, which they emit while flying. A bat detector can help you know which bat is which from the sound it makes.

Cotehele’s woodland 

The Cotehele estate includes 111 hectares (274 acres) of mixed woodland, which is home to oak, ash, sweet chestnut, sycamore and beech trees, with an understory of hazel and holly.  

Cotehele’s woodland grows on the steep sloped valley sides along the River Tamar and are extremely varied in character. There are ancient woodland sites, like Bohetherick, to old mining and gardening areas that have only been reverted to woodland in the last six or seven decades, like the Danescombe Valley.