EXPLORE
Horseshoe Woods
A mysterious mix of old and new for you to explore
Old and New Woodland
The Horseshoe Woods cover 100 acres of the steep, north facing slopes of the Steyning Downland. Surprisingly, almost all of these woods have developed since the 1940s. Prior to that time these chalk slopes were grazed by sheep and cattle and were mostly covered by grassland and scrub (see aerial photo).
Our woodland is a young habitat, so the range of species found there is not as great as you would find in old woodlands. But there still many interesting things to see.
Look out for the small patches of Hazel coppice, which are older than much of the rest of the wood. The Hazel would have been used for fencing, thatching, hedge laying and for weaving. There are also some big Beech trees, which are at least 250 years old. It may be that, mixed in with there rest of woods, we have some small areas of much older ‘ancient’ woodland, which dates back to at least 1600 AD.
One challenge is the devastation caused by Ash Dieback Disease. This started to appear in 2018. About 70% of the canopy of the Horseshoe Woods is made up of Ash trees, and almost all of these have the disease.
Aerial photo taken in 1947 with the boundary of the Steyning Downland Scheme shown in red
What You Can See
Although most of our woodland is quite a new habitat, there are still lots of interesting woodland wildlife to see.
Along the Lower Horseshoe Footpath, the recent tree clearance has allowed more light to reach the woodland floor, and this has attracted some woodland surprises, including the Silver Washed Fritillary.
In winter, along the woodland edge, look out for the bright orange berries of Stinking Iris, an evergreen. It doesn’t actually stink, but the rubbed leaves have a rather odd smell of raw beef.
In spring, the Horseshoe Woods are carpeted with Dog’s Mercury, but best not to pick the leaves of this plant, which are highly poisonous. Hidden amongst the Dog’s Mercury you may even spot a White Helleborine, one of our rarest orchids.
Look for woodland fungi in autumn, such as Fairy Inkcap, which grows on old, rotten logs.
Silver Washed Fritillary
White Helleborine
Fairy Inkcap
Stinking Iris
Our Future Plans
We’d lie to turn the Ash Dieback problem into an opportunity by planting a range of new tree and shrub species to diversify the woodland. The loss of our Ash trees also creates opportunities to establish new woodland roads and glades, which would attract more ‘woodland edge’ species, like the Silver Washed Fritillary.
What We Have Done
Since Ash Dieback started to appear in our woods in 2018, our main focus has been on keeping our visitors safe from the sudden collapse of dangerous trees. With the help of the Wiston Estate, we cleared back dead Ash trees from the Upper Horseshoe bridleway in 2019 and the Lower Horseshoe footpath in 2020.
Much clearance work remains to be done, and we are working on an ongoing basis with a local woodsman, to fell dangerous trees from all our public rights of way. Once the dangerous trees are felled, we work with students from Steyning Grammar School, who cut them up ready for them to sold for firewood. In this way, the students learn about woodland management, and hopefully have a fun day out too!
We are planning to produce a woodland management plan, to direct the restoration and enhancement of the Horseshoe Woods. With adequate funding, it would be possible to introduce native trees to replace our lost Ash. Some of these species all but disappeared from the South Downs many years ago due to excessive logging. These include Small-leaved Lime and Large-leaved Lime which both support a wealth of wildlife and are well suited to a warming climate.
How You Can Help
As a registered charity, we depend upon the support of our Friends, and donors. There are many ways to join in, and help wildlife thrive.
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Volunteer With Us
Everyone is welcome to become involved, regardless of skills, age or experience. Discover the many ways you can lend a hand.
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