Clouts Wood

Clouts Wood

Clouts Wood, Wiltshire. Credit: Ralph Harvey

A great walk with stunning views in the village of Wroughton.

Location

Wroughton
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN4 9JS

OS Map Reference

SU136800

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A static map of Clouts Wood

Know before you go

Size
62 hectares
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Entry fee

Free
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Parking information

No car park. Please park in the nearby Ellendune Car Park at SN4 9LD. Walk into Nursery Close from the High Street (at the traffic lights). Continue straight ahead through the housing until you reach the junction with Badgers Brook.

Bicycle parking

Yes. There are two rails provided to lock bikes against at the reserve entrance in Badgers Brook.

Grazing animals

Yes

Access

Open access. Gravelled path in Kings Farm Wood near Badgers Brook entrance. This then changes to fields. Not suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. 

In winter wear wellies as the steep terrain is often muddy.

Dogs

On a lead

See our FAQ's for more information.

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

Spring and summer. Nearby attractions also include Swindon Museum and Art Gallery (3 miles), Steam Museum of the Great West Railway (3 miles), Lydiard Park (4 miles).

About the reserve

A walk through this Site of Special Scientific Interest takes you from stream-soaked valley floor, up steep slopes to level land at the top. You will find mossy gnarled boles, splendid spreading trees and abandoned water cress beds.

Clouts Wood is situated between Markham Banks nature reserve and King’s Farm Wood and Diocese Meadows. Combine a walk through all four areas to enjoy contrasting landscapes.

It is traditionally managed as coppice with some standard trees left to grow on. Most trees are 50 to 100 years old, although a few oaks are about 200. Records of coppice rights stretch back to the 1600s. Because of the wood’s great age, 29 ancient woodland indicator species grow among its wildflowers.

From late June see if you can find the tall yellowish spikes of the nationally scarce Bath asparagus, also known as the spiked star of Bethlehem. Other plants of note are green hellebore and wood vetch, the uncommon herb-Paris and delicate mauve meadow saffron. We leave some areas with a dense canopy for large old trees and to provide dead wood for fungi, beetles and hole-nesting bats and birds. In autumn look for shaggy parasol mushrooms, stump puffballs and velvet shank toadstool.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the green and great spotted woodpecker, treecreeper and chiffchaff - this bird sounds as though it is repeating its name. Blackcap and goldfinch like the coppiced areas and you may spot a roe deer.

Contact us

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
Contact number: 01380 725670

Environmental designation

Area of Outstanding Beauty (AONB)
County Wildlife Site
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

Map of Kings Farm Wood, Clouts Wood and Markham Banks

Map of Clouts Wood

History of the site

Situated next to the old RAF Wroughton airfield. Ministry of Defence aviation activity ceased in 1972. The airfield now belongs to the Science Museum Group and is home to the National Collections Centre, which houses the group's large-object storage and library.

Virtual tour

A walk in Clouts Wood.

Events at Clouts Wood

A lovely place to visit. Very picturesque and lots of interesting nature.
Peter from Swindon
I absolutely love this place! The walks through the woods are amazing and the atmosphere is unbelievable and so peaceful!
Kim from Wroughton