Cinderhill wood is maintained for the benefit of the community to enjoy the beauty of the countryside on their doorstep. Covering a total area of 12 hectares, there are a wide variety of habitats for you to explore all typical of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). There is a well-managed network of paths and byways throughout Cinderhill, which will give you the opportunity to see a variety of flora and fauna.

Heathland

Areas of lowland heathland such as this are of great importance. Each

small area of heath in the Weald acts as a ‘stepping stone’ enabling flora and fauna to migrate across the area. The heath needs to be managed in order to prevent colonisation by birch and bracken and to maintain the heather (ling) by cutting it to encourage re-growth. In the summer months look out for the hebridean sheep that graze the birch saplings. In the northwestern corner of the heath, the ground is significantly wetter giving rise to small areas of sphagnum mire, a moss bog. Mires such as this are rare in Kent as the dry climate usually causes them to dry up.

Stream-side Woodland

This area mainly consists of mixed coppiced trees, including ash, alder and hazel. Apart from the coppicing the area has remained relatively undisturbed and therefore the species found here may have remained unchanged for centuries. Coppicing encourages a wide variety of ground flora as it floods the ground with light every 15- 20 years (depending on the cycle) giving rise to magnificent displays of primroses in the spring months as well as several orchid species and the scarce lesser skullcap.

Sweet Chestnut Coppice

Coppicing involves the cutting down of trees to ground level, so that the wood can be harvested in a sustainable way and new shoots can grow. Coppicing prolongs the life of trees. Today coppiced wood is used for fencing materials, Garden furniture and charcoal. In the past the wood was also used for building materials.

Birch Woodland

Silver birch is best seen in the spring, with its silvery bark and drooping branches of pale green leaves and catkins.
This birch woodland area was probably cleared in the past for fuel for use in iron making, (the name ‘Cinderhill’ relates back to the early iron-making period). The treeless waste left behind would have been the perfect place for the silver birch to colonise, eventually creating what you see today.

What to look out for

A total of 60 bird species can be seen at Cinderhill, including the Turtle Dove which possesses its own Biodiveristy Action Plan, so there is plenty to watch and listen out for.
The green woodpecker can be seen searching for insects, and is recognised by its distinctive loud laughing call.
Listen for the brilliant singing of the song thrush or the loud smacking sounds as it smashes a snail against a stone to break its shell.
Look out for Kestrels hovering over their prey and pied wagtails walking quickly along footpaths looking for insects.
You may see a common lizard basking in a ‘sun spot’ on the heath edge.
The different habitats at Cinderhill support a rich variety of animals and plants.

The Importance of Cinderhill

There are some locally uncommon plants found at Cinderhill such as western gorse, greater butterfly-orchid and sphagnum moss. The heathland and mire are protected under the Kent Biodiversity Action Plan. The majority of the woodland is owned by Tunbridge Wells Borough council and managed by the Kent High Weald Project; with a neighbouring reserve owned and managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust. Cinderhill is very important within the local community, providing a beautiful area of countryside for walkers, families and horse riders to enjoy.

New Management Plan for Cinderhill

A new management plan has been drawn-up for Cinderhill, which we are in the process of consulting on. Click here to find out more, and download a copy of the plan.

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