About the reserve

Goslings Corner is one of the smaller Lincolnshire oak/lime woods, but it is an excellent representative of a distinctive type of these nationally important woodlands, and none has a richer flora. The ancient wood bank along the western and southern boundaries formed the edges of the former Langton Wood, which was largely destroyed between 1850 and 1870 and of which Goslings Corner is a remnant. The variety of soils in the reserve - ranging from mainly neutral to mainly acidic - produces the variety of flora.

The tree and shrub structure consists of scattered oak standards over coppice of small-leaved lime, oak, hazel, birch and field maple. Aspen, sallow, crab apple, dogwood, spindle and midland hawthorn also occur. The ground flora is impressively rich with abundant spring flowers, such as bluebell, wood anenome and woodruff, wood buttercup, yellow archangel, yellow pimpernel, ramsons and common valerian. On the more acid soils wood-sorrel and lily-of-the-valley occur, while rarer woodland plants include greater butterfly-orchid and bird's-nest orchid, and the attractive grasses wood melick and wood millet. Birds include great spotted woodpecker, treecreeper, blackcap and other woodland warblers.

A series of coppice plots have been created off the main rides. The oldest plot at the southern end of the main ride was cut in the winter of 1989/90 and the last one in this present series is due to be completed near the turn of the century. The plots are covered in spring flowers for the first few years before the trees and shrubs re-grow and the leafy canopy closes in again. The plots also produce a varied age structure of trees and shrubs along the edge of the rides.  

How to get there: The reserve is situated on the north side of the minor road known as Hoop Lane, which joins the B1202 Wragby-Bardney road with the A158 Lincoln-Skegness road. There is a small car park on the west side of Hoop Lane Farm.

Nearest postcode LN8 5QB. Please note - postcodes are for the nearest registered address as we are unable to get postcodes for nature reserves.

Location information

Goslings Corner Wood location PDF

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