Explore Nymans’ woodlands and wider estate

Planning your visit to the woodlands and estate 

The wider estate is part of the High Weald, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1983, and the woodland is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).  

You can access the woodland from the visitor car park and there are three circular walks of different length that can be followed in either direction:

• The Short Walk (pink arrows, 3/4 mile, 1.2km, some steep gradients and uneven ground) which passes through the arboretum and ancient woodland, by streams and wildflowers. 
• The Centenary Walk (blue arrows, 1.5 miles, 2.4km, some slopes and potentially muddy areas) passes through the arboretum and follows the Conifer Avenue down to the lake. 
• The Millennium Walk (orange arrows, 2.5 miles, 4 km, slopes, boardwalk, bridges, some steps and potentially muddy areas) heads through bluebell-filled woods, by the tallest tree and bird hide, and along a Medieval track. 

Use the woodland map to help you plan your walk.

Woodland map 

Nymans’ woodland lies nestled in a valley, so some of the paths are steep and at times muddy. We recommend sturdy footwear and make sure you’re dressed for the weather. 

Keep your eyes peeled for sculptures created by a local carver, David Lucas, of some of the wildlife you can spot here. 

'These woods are so much part of the gardens at Nymans. They are the true English scene, the Midsummer Night’s Dream of my imagination.'

Anne Messel 

 

Woodland Trail

After visiting the garden follow this 4km woodland trail  of the surrounding estate found in the High Weald and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

 

Explore the woodland on a tour

Each day we run 'Woods Buggy Tours' to help you discover the estate's 250 acres of wildlife-rich woodland. The volunteer-run tours start at 11.30am and 1.30pm and last around 1 hour. Please contact Visitor Reception on 01444 405133 if you need more information.

Walking dogs in the woodlands 

Dogs are welcome in the woodlands under close control all year round. Please stick to the paths and keep your dogs in sight at all times. During bird nesting season, from 1 March until 31 August, please keep dogs on leads to protect ground-nesting species of birds.

The woods are a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) partly for their breeding birds. Many birds nest in the shrub and bramble layer and are easily disturbed unintentionally by dogs running through. We ask for everyone’s support to help birds nest and rear their young.

Exploring the woodlands in winter  

In winter when it’s wet and muddy please stick to the paths. With the correct footwear, relish the weather and walk through puddles and mud. Trampling the sides or climbing the banks will prevent wildflowers returning in the spring so savour the squelch!  

A woodland’s secrets are revealed in winter when trees are stripped of foliage. Lead Ranger, George Curd, recommends what to look out for in the woodland this winter:  

Colourful winter woodland 

Bright sunny days allow focus on the more subtle elements of the woodland: the lichens, ferns and berry-dotted evergreens. Your eyes are drawn, not by bright-coloured flowers, but by the gentler hues of barks, the smooth grey beech, blushing pink birch and the rich rust colours of redwood glowing in the low winter sun. 

More noticeable too are barks of varying texture and colour: the smooth grey beech, the fissured oak and red and silver striped birch. Redwoods majestically stand tall with their red, fibrous bark and glossy green foliage and holly berries stand out, bright and red – food for birds and wildlife. Look out for late-winter hazel catkins which release clouds of yellow pollen and produce tiny red flowers.  

Nature detective 

Winter is a great time for playing nature detective. Bare branches make spying birds easier and mud and snow are ideal for following animal tracks. Pellets and droppings are clues for identifying the local wildlife. A close inspection of wood bark may reveal broken nut shells trapped in crevices by nuthatches, and mosses enjoying the rivulets of moisture provided by the fissures.  

Also exposed are secrets of an industrious past. Frosted edges reveal contours in the landscape highlighting old banks, ditches and boundaries and the dips and hollows of old quarries and saw pits. 

Species to spot 

You may still spot dog’s mercury foliage – always the first to appear in spring and the last to go in winter – as well as cushions of mosses and liverworts which soften the winter landscape. Keep an eye out for wood spurge and naturalised snowdrops.  

Spot tree creepers in the coppice looking for insects, watch tits and finches feed on berries, nuts and seeds, and see jays searching for buried acorns. Winter’s a good time to spot old bird nests in the bare trees and listen out for the dog-like barking of the muntjac deer and the calls of owls.