Bull's Wood Nature Reserve

Oxlip by Steve Aylward

Oxlip by Steve Aylward

Bull's Wood nature reserve Suffolk Wildlife Trust

By Steve Aylward

Herb paris by Steve Aylward

Herb paris by Steve Aylward

Bull's Wood nature reserve Suffolk Wildlife Trust

By Steve Aylward

Goldfinch - Adam Jones

Goldfinch - Adam Jones

Bull's Wood nature reserve Suffolk Wildlife Trust

By Steve Aylward

Bull's Wood nature reserve Suffolk Wildlife Trust

By Steve Aylward

Bull's Wood Nature Reserve

There’s a silence in Bull’s Wood that is only broken by the clap and whirring of pigeons and the soft sneezing call of the black bibbed marsh tit.

Location

Between Cockfield and Great Green
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
IP30 0HD

OS Map Reference

TL918549
A static map of Bull's Wood Nature Reserve

Know before you go

Size
12 hectares
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Entry fee

Free
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Parking information

There is no parking at the reserve. Please park safely in the village of Cockfield.
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Walking trails

Wet and muddy in winter.

Trail map

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Access

Not suitable for wheelchairs.

No drone flying without express permission.
(Permission will only be granted in exceptional circumstances)

If you'd like to visit this reserve as a group, please contact us in advance.

Find out why we ask you to keep your dog on a short lead at most of our reserves and why this is important for wildlife conservation. Why we ask dogs are kept on a lead

Dogs

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When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

April to August

About the reserve

The wood is famed countrywide for its rare spring-time oxlips, which are limited to just 100 sites in East Anglia, carpeting swathes of the woodland floor in buttery yellow. Anyone visiting between March and June will also be treated to abundant displays of early-purple orchid, spurge-laurel, wood anemone and herb-paris. Yet, the spectacular show of flowers is certainly not the only reason to visit Bull’s Wood.

The circular walk that winds past traditionally managed coppices of hazel and ash, takes you through lush rides opened up for butterflies such as the gatekeeper, speckled wood and orange tip. Birds such as marsh tits, long-tailed tits and tree-creeper can also be regularly seen. The walk itself is relatively short and can be completed in about 15 minutes. But with the only other foot prints you are likely to see belonging to the wood’s roe deer, there is plenty of opportunity just to stand and stare.  

Contact us

Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Contact number: 01473 890089

Location map

What is coppicing, and why is it important?

In this short film, Alex Lack (Woodlands Warden at Suffolk Wildlife Trust) explains the long tradition of coppicing at Bradfield Woods and the vital role this ancient woodland management technique plays in creating wildlife-rich habitats.

Featuring Alex Lack. Filmed and editted by John Collins.