Wildlife reserves · East of England
Great Wood and Dodd's Grove
In or near Southend-on-Sea.
Great Wood and Dodd's Grove — Essex Wildlife Trust Nature reserve.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 2 h–4 h
- Best time of year
- Autumn & winter (migration & wildfowl)
- Nearest railway station
- Leigh-on-Sea · 2.3 km
- Free entry
- Family-friendly
- Dog-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
Getting there & planning your visit
To visit Great Wood and Dodd's Grove, the nearest railway station is Leigh-on-Sea, which is 2.3 km away. Entry is free, but wheelchair accessibility is limited. The postcode for sat-nav is SS9 4LR.
About
Great Wood and Dodd's Grove is a wildlife reserve in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1985. It covers approximately 37 km². Heritage designation: Site of Special Scientific Interest. Managed by Essex Wildlife Trust. Address: SS9 4LR. Wikidata describes it as: "Essex Wildlife Trust Nature reserve". Coordinates: 51.5590°, 0.6230°.
Photo gallery
Summary from the official site
Belfairs Nature Discovery Centre serves as a community and education hub, providing access to the Belfairs & Daws Heath Living Landscape. Visitors can enjoy nature trails, scenic walks, and various outdoor activities while learning about local wildlife and conservation efforts.
Read more on the official property page.
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Great Wood & Dodd's Grove SSSI
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Great Wood and Dodd's Grove is a 36.8-hectare (91-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex. It is also a Local Nature Reserve called Belfairs. Essex Wildlife Trust runs the Belfairs Woodland Centre and manages the site together with Southend-on-Sea City Council. This is a small remnant of the ancient Hadleigh Great Wood. It is coppiced oak woodland on sands, gravels and clay, and one of the largest areas of old woodland in the south of the county. Bramble and honeysuckle are the main ground plants. Other plants include the rare broad-leaved helleborine. Hadleigh Woods comprise several contiguous woods: Belfairs Wood (32.3 ha); Coxall Wood (0.79 ha); Dodd's Grove (4.02 ha); and Hadleigh Great Wood (33.3 ha). The site has toilets, a café and trails. There is access from Poors Lane, which runs through the site and separates Hadleigh Great Wood from Dodd's Grove.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
- Coordinates
- 51.5590, 0.6230
- County
- Essex
- District
- Castle Point
- Parish
- Castle Point, unparished area
- Postcode
- SS9 4LR
- Parliamentary constituency
- Castle Point
- Phone
- 01702 477467
- Established
- 1985
- Nearest railway station
- Leigh-on-Sea — 2.3 km
- Opening
- Open all year round; Winter: 10am–4pm weekdays, 9am–4pm weekends; Summer: 10am–5pm weekdays, 9am–5pm weekends
- Official site
- www.essexwt.org.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q24993641 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Great Wood and Dodd's Grove (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Aerial view of Belfairs Nature Reserve, Hadleigh - geograph.org.uk - 1657010.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Great Wood and Dodd's Grove?
- Great Wood and Dodd's Grove is in Essex, South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode SS9 4LR), in the parish of Castle Point, unparished area.
- What is Great Wood and Dodd's Grove?
- Great Wood and Dodd's Grove — Essex Wildlife Trust Nature reserve.
- How do I get to Great Wood and Dodd's Grove?
- The nearest railway station is Leigh-on-Sea, about 2.3 km away. Drivers can use postcode SS9 4LR.
- When was Great Wood and Dodd's Grove built?
- Built or established in 1985.
- Who runs Great Wood and Dodd's Grove?
- Great Wood and Dodd's Grove is operated by Essex Wildlife Trust.
- Is Great Wood and Dodd's Grove a listed building?
- Great Wood and Dodd's Grove is officially recognised as Site of Special Scientific Interest listed.
- Is Great Wood and Dodd's Grove a protected site?
- Yes — Great Wood and Dodd's Grove is part of the Great Wood & Dodd's Grove SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- Is Great Wood and Dodd's Grove free to visit?
- Yes, Great Wood and Dodd's Grove is free to enter.