Keal Carr

Keal Carr

John Haddon

Keal Carr

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust

Keal Carr

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust

Keal Carr

This is probably the finest surviving example of the alder carrs in the southern Wolds.

Location

North of the A16 between Spilsby and East Keal
Spilsby
Nearest postcode PE23 4AS

OS Map Reference

TF 385 648
A static map of Keal Carr

Know before you go

Size
12 hectares
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Parking information

Verge parking after a sharp left bend off the A16
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Grazing animals

Cattle
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Walking trails

Please keep to the linear waymarked route; the reserve is a short walk but is part of a wider network of public footpaths

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Access

Not suitable for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues

Dogs

image/svg+xmlNo dogs permitted

Assistance dogs only

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

April to July

About the reserve

This is probably the finest surviving example of the alder carrs of the southern Wolds, growing in small valleys created by streams cutting down through the soft Spilsby Sandstone into the Kimmeridge Clay below. The feature is also represented in the Snipe Dales and Sow Dale reserves.

The upper slopes on the sandstone have an abundance of bluebells and red campion, but below the spring line on the impervious clay the ground is permanently wet and the woodland consists chiefly of alder and willow, which have been traditionally coppiced. Marsh-marigolds carpet this woodland floor in spring. Moschatel is also abundant, and there are both native species of golden-saxifrage: the opposite-leaved and the much rarer and rather finer alternate-leaved. In more open places there is a tall herb community, with yellow iris, giant horsetail, meadowsweet and angelica. There is a rich and varied bird fauna.

Management aims are the restoration of woodland cover in one area of the valley, and the removal of sycamore, which has become over-dominant in places. The lower part of Keal Carr is now a sanctuary area with no public access.

Nearest postcode PE23 4AS. Please note - postcodes are for the nearest registered address as we are unable to get postcodes for nature reserves.

Location information

Keal Carr location PDF

Access the reserve using the public footpath from the A16 or from the narrow road (signposted to Old Bolingbroke and Mavis Enderby) off the A16, a short distance east of East Keal. There is room for parking on the right-hand verge after a sharp left bend and the reserve can be reached via the public footpath along Brickyard Lane.

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North entrance ///clutter.remembers.trail

South entrance ///tightrope.dash.crumb

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