Danemead

This Site of Special Scientific Interest contains important oak hornbeam woodland where broad-leaved helleborines and butterflies thrive

Location

Off Cock Lane
Hoddesdon
Hertfordshire
EN11 8GG

OS Map Reference

TL 346 077
A static map of Danemead

Know before you go

Size
6 hectares
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Entry fee

Free
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Parking information

There is a council owned car park – Ermine Street ‘Martin’s Green’ car park – off of Cock Lane, Broxbourne.

Walking trails

Butterfly Trail/Sculpture Trail in Broxbourne Woods; River to Wood Trail (starts in Lee Valley Regional Park); Hertfordshire Way; Hertfordshire Chain Walk

Access

The site is not suitable for wheelchairs or buggies due to uneven ground.

Dogs

Under effective control

No dogs in enclosures. In other areas dogs are permitted under control.

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

April to July

Environmental designation

Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

About the reserve

A wood pasture wander at Danemead is a symphony for the senses. Beautiful bird song fills the air – can you hear the high-pitched twitter of a goldcrest, the country’s smallest bird’s or the melodic scratchy song of blackcap or if you’re lucky maybe a fluting call of a bullfinch from the dense scrubby edges.

Danemead Map

In spring, look out for the diminutive opposite-leaved golden saxifrage in damp areas along the Spital Brook. This beautiful oak-hornbeam woodland is surrounded by rich history – the site is bounded by Ermine Street, a major Roman road that ran from London to Lincoln and York. The Hertfordshire Way, a 195-mile long-distance circular trail through the whole of Hertfordshire, passes through here.

Join us on a virtual tour of Danemead Nature Reserve. 

Directions

Site entrance: From ‘Martin’s Green’ car park off Cock Lane, walk down the track from the car park for 200 yards to the reserve entrance. There is also access to the site from Hoddesdon Park Wood along the Hertfordshire Way.

Access by road: From Hoddesdon head towards Broxbourne on A1170, turn right at Cock Lane roundabout and follow road for 1.5 miles. The reserve and car park is on the right.

Access by public transport
Bus:
310, 341, 392, 410, 411, 641 to Hoddeston Clock Tower (2.3 miles).
Rail: Broxbourne (2.4 miles).

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