Gipton Wood is a beautiful ancient Woodland
Gipton Wood is a beautiful ancient woodland and a designated Local Wildlife Site, covering 8 hectares of mature Oak, Sycamore, Beech and Sweet Chestnut with a stunning swathe of bluebells in the Spring. It is situated 2 miles north-east of the City Centre alongside Roundhay Road in the heart of Oakwood, offering local residents and visitors easy access to nature in the heart of the city.
Wildlife
Gipton Wood is home to native Bluebells and many other species of ancient woodland flowers and grasses, best viewed in Spring and which don’t occur naturally in newer woodlands. It also supports a rich variety of wildlife, including woodland birds like Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Treecreepers, and Nuthatches, as well as bats and insects. Every Autumn the Wood hosts a spectacular display of fungi with over 25 species recorded in this small area.
History
As an ancient woodland, Gipton Wood has been continuously covered in trees since at least 1600.
But it has been shaped by the people living in and around it over time. From a Bronze Age settlement, to being first recorded by the Normans, from Victorian planters, to Georgian miners, its history is of the close relationship between humans and Nature.
Access
The Wood is on the Number 12 and 13 bus routes. Less ambulant people can access the Wood at the end of Oakwood Drive or Gipton Wood Road where the wood is flatter, but the footpaths are slightly uneven.
DONATE
Gipton Wood is beautiful but fragile woodland site. As a group of volunteers, our conversation work relies on donations from those that love the Wood.
If you would like to help us keep Gipton Wood thriving, for nature, the community and the future, please consider donating to our cause.