place

Highnam Woods

Gloucestershire geography stubsNature reserves in Gloucestershire
Entrance to Highnam Woods Nature Reserve geograph.org.uk 517824
Entrance to Highnam Woods Nature Reserve geograph.org.uk 517824

Highnam Wood is a nature reserve located in Gloucestershire and established by the RSPB to protect bird species in the region. A two-kilometre nature trail passes through the park, giving tourists a view of Britain's rarest breeding woodpecker species, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Marsh Tit, Nightingale, Song Thrush, and Spotted Flycatchers also frequent the park.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Highnam Woods (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.872222222222 ° E -2.3236111111111 °
placeShow on map

Address

A40
GL2 8AB , Highnam
England, United Kingdom
mapOpen on Google Maps

Entrance to Highnam Woods Nature Reserve geograph.org.uk 517824
Entrance to Highnam Woods Nature Reserve geograph.org.uk 517824
Share experience

Nearby Places

Minsterworth
Minsterworth

Minsterworth is a village in Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the border of the City of Gloucester, on the north bank of the River Severn (effectively on the western side of the river) and on the A48 road between Gloucester and Chepstow. Minsterworth is governed by a parish council. The parish includes the village of Calcott's Green. The population of the village as at the 2011 census was 444. The population in mid-2014 was 470 people, with 70 people aged 0–15, 270 people aged 16–64 and 135 people aged 65+. The higher levels of government are Tewkesbury Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council. The village has a long history, at one stage being held by the rebellious baron Simon de Montfort. Its economy used to be heavily involved with salmon-fishing in the Severn, as illustrated by a carving in the local church of three salmon caught in a fishing net. Fishing for elvers remains an important activity. The local church, St Peter's, lies right next to the river, with three ancient yews in the churchyard. It was rebuilt by Henry Woodyer (who had earlier worked on the nearby church in Highnam) in 1870, but contains many older features such as a fifteenth-century baptismal font, a Jacobean pulpit and part of a fourteenth-century cope. The village has a church (St Peter's), a primary school (Minsterworth C of E) and a village hall. In December 2017, the primary school was forced to shut down due to a lack of pupils. The Severn Bore Inn, butchers shop and waterski club, often attributed to the village, actually lie outside the parish boundary. It also has a number of listed buildings dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.The village of Minsterworth is an Acorn Class 2 area and is one of the more desirable areas in Gloucestershire and the most desirable village in close proximity to the city of Gloucester. Average incomes are higher than average for Gloucestershire and England with the total weekly household income for 2007-2008 estimated at £720, compared to £673 for both Gloucestershire and England as a whole. Interest in current affairs is high. The village is one of the best places to view the Severn Bore, where people can be seen surfing and water skiing from the local water ski club. F. W. Harvey, war poet and broadcaster, dubbed the "Laureate of Gloucestershire", is buried in the village churchyard.

Severn bore
Severn bore

The Severn bore is a tidal bore seen on the tidal reaches of the River Severn in south western England. It is formed when the rising tide moves into the funnel-shaped Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary and the surging water forces its way upstream in a series of waves, as far as Gloucester and beyond. The bore behaves differently in different stretches of the river; in the lower, wider parts it is more noticeable in the deep channels as a slight roller, while the water creeps across the sand and mudflats. In the narrower, upper reaches, the river occupies the whole area between its banks and the bore advances in a series of waves that move upstream. Near Gloucester, the advancing water overcomes two weirs, and sometimes one in Tewkesbury, before finally petering out. Bores are present on about 130 days in the year, concentrated on the days immediately following the new and full moon. The size and precise timing of the bore depend on such things as the time of high tide, the barometric pressure, the wind speed and direction, the amount of water coming down the river and how well scoured the main drainage channels are. There are a number of viewpoints from which the bore can be seen, or viewers can walk along the river bank or floodbanks. Historically, the bore has been of importance to shipping visiting the docks at Gloucester, but this was alleviated by the construction of an alternative route, the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, which opened in 1827. Nowadays the bore is of interest to surfers and canoeists who attempt to ride the waves.

Highnam
Highnam

Highnam is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of the city of Gloucester. It is three miles northwest of the city on the A40, on the way to Ross, west of Alney Island and Over Bridge. It is connected by Segregated Bicycle Paths via Over Bridge and Alney Island to Gloucester. The parish includes the villages of Lassington and Over. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 2,014, reducing to 1,916 at the 2011 census.Highnam was originally made up of farm land, which explains some of its street names (Brimsome Meadow, Poppy Field, Stoney Field, Long Field, Peters Field, Williams Orchard, et al.). As a village, Highnam is fairly small, containing few social amenities. These include the Church of the Holy Innocents, a school (Highnam C of E Primary), a village hall, a day nursery, a village shop and a doctor's surgery. The Arnold family were Lords of the Manor in the sixteenth century- the best known member of the family is Sir Nicholas Arnold (died 1580), Lord Deputy of Ireland. The wealthy artist and collector Thomas Gambier Parry purchased the Highnam Court estate in 1837. He remodelled the Court and laid out the Highnam Court gardens; he was one of the first to make a pinetum. Highnam Court gardens are now open to the public. His son, the composer Hubert Parry, learnt to play the organ in the church. Highnam has an eighteen-hole golf course and a large business park just outside the main village. The village is home to both football and cricket teams Highnam Court Cricket Club and also has Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Brownies groups. A new feature in 2007 was the addition of a Youth Café. Highnam Woods to the west of the village are managed by the RSPB as a nature reserve, and Lassington Wood is to the east of the village.