About
Ulverscroft Nature Reserve lies in the ancient Charnwood Forest near Copt Oak, Leicestershire, within the Ulverscroft Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest. The southern part was left to the National Trust by Charles Cliffe Jones, and the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust has managed the whole 59-hectare reserve since 1966. It runs from rocky hilltops at 250 metres down to valley marshes, taking in oak and beech woods with treecreepers and woodpeckers, bracken heath with bilberry, and Herbert's Meadows with fragrant and heath spotted orchids. Poultney Wood puts on a bluebell display each May. Entry is free, but non-members of either trust need a free permit from the Wildlife Trust before they come. Reviewers describe quiet, unkempt woods and pastures grazed by longhorn cattle, warn that paths are brambly, muddy and poorly signed, and say the entrance gate is near the Copt Oak end of Whitcroft's Lane. Tips from visitors: wear long trousers and boots. Dogs are welcome on leads. A public footpath links Poultney Wood to the Marshes.
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- Nature reserveSee opening notes
Opening times may change at short notice.
The National Trust publishes no opening calendar; the Wildlife Trust lists the reserve as always open, best in spring.
National Trust and Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust members enter on their membership card. Anyone else needs a free permit from the Wildlife Trust (0116 262 9968, info@lrwt.org.uk), valid to the end of the year, before visiting.
No toilets. Steps, stiles and uneven terrain; paths can be muddy and brambly, and livestock may be grazing.
Dogs are welcome on a lead.
Photo: Beech woodland at Ulverscroft Nature Reserve, Charnwood Forest. Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ulverscroft_Nature_Reserve_10.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
Dogs at the location: Allowed with restrictions. Dogs may visit the reserve on a lead; there are no buildings. The NT page itself says nothing about dogs.
Dog walks in the grounds: Allowed with restrictions. Dogs on a lead on the reserve's paths, with livestock sometimes present; free with an NT or LRWT card, otherwise a free permit is needed first.
Leads: On a lead throughout; livestock may be present.
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Walking routes1 route
Public footpath, Poultney Wood to the Marshes(opens the full route on the National Trust site)
WalkDogs, with restrictions
