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Uckfield is on the Southern boundary of the High Weald Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty with the Ashdown Forest in close vicinity. A number
of areas of open land and woodland surround Uckfield including:-
Boothland Wood -
This is a lovely 5 hectare site acquired in 1991. It is an ancient
semi-natural woodland containing a variety of venerable oak trees
and coppiced species including hornbeam, hazel and ash. Forestry
Commission grants have enabled the woodland to be brought back into
active management. Access improvements have been made including
the installation of benches, steps and bridges. A wide variety of
interesting flora and fauna can be seen throughout the year including
a fantastic display of bluebells in late Spring, grass snakes, woodland
birds including nuthatches and treecreepers and a variety of dragonflies,
butterflies and other insect life. The site has a rich history:
evidence of old boundary banks, sunken tracks and abandoned mine
pits can be seen.
Bridge Farm Wood -
This small piece of mixed woodland can be found alongside the old
railway line. There are a number of informal stone pathways which
run through the site. Access is from Bridge Farm Road.
 Harlands
Pond - This is an old and valuable farm pond
located within the Harlands Farm development. It is a very important
toad breeding crossing pond and also contains population of the
common frog and rather unfortunately, a great number of goldfish
as well as coots, moorhens and a heron, waiting to grab a tasty
snack. The small strip of adjacent woodland has a blanket Tree Preservation
Order (TPO) on it and contains a mixture of tree species including
alder and hazel. Great crested newts have been seen in the small
stream which runs through the wood.
Nightingale Wood - This
is a small strip of ancient semi-natural woodland which can be accessed
off Bullfinch Gardens. The site is covered by a blanket TPO and
contains mixed species including oak, ash, birch, field maple and
a significant area of hazel coppice. Wood anemones and bluebells
can be seen in Spring as well as an impressive array of early purple
orchids down by the stream.
Hempstead Meadow LNR - This
Local Nature Reserve runs alongside the River Uck floodplain and
is an important wetland habitat in the heart of Uckfield and is
subject to periodic flooding during the Winter months. Habitats
include regularly inundated tussocky damp grassland, ditches, scrub,
established trees including willow and alder, recently planted black
poplars and mixed grassland.
The site supports a number of greater tussock sedges, considered
uncommon in the South East. Other typical species include hemlock
water-dropwort, rushes, sedges, foxtails, crosswort, meadowsweet
and tansy. Fauna of interest includes grass snakes and slow worms.
Bird species are variable and include snipe, sparrowhawk, song thrush
and goldfinch. Insect life is rich and includes a wide range of
butterflies, hoverflies, dragonflies, mayflies and beetles.
West Park LNR -
West Park Local Nature Reserve is of special value due to the variety
of diverse habitats contained within the relatively small area of
11 hectares. These include mixed woodland, grassland (much of which
is flower-rich) and a sensitive marsh which supports a number of
orchid species including the rare Southern Marsh Orchid. Wooded
sandstone outcrops, home to at least 58 species of moss and liverworts,
are also present here and were the site of a Mesolithic settlement.
There are numerous access points into the reserve which can be wet
during the Winter months. Sheep sometimes graze here during the
Autumn to help prevent the spread of bracken and encourage delicate
wild flowers to thrive. A population of dormice, a rare and protected
species, has recently been discovered here.
If you would like to know more about any of these sites, please
contact the Town Council.
Uckfield Millennium Green
- Uckfield Millennium Green to the South of Uckfield,
off New Road, is 22 acres (8.90 hectares) of open space for the
enjoyment of everyone, with a hard surfaced meandering path. Access
is via the Ridgewood Recreation Ground and Shipreed Lane. There
is a dog free picnic area, pond, and numerous informal paths to
explore. There is an abundance of flora and fauna with the land
being kept as natural as possible. You may be lucky enough to see
glow worms, great crested newts, woodpeckers and numerous species
of butterfly.
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