The Hudnalls Hideout – the local wildlife…

The Hudnalls National Nature Reserve, that our treehouse takes its name from, is a 94.4-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. This semi-natural woodland is dominated by beech, oak, ash and lime trees. This ancient woodland has a magical, almost Narnia feel to it.

The woods are home to a wide variety of wildlife, from fallow deer, badgers, squirrels and foxes to woodpeckers, starling, song thrush, hawfinch, wood warblers, nuthatches and treecreepers.

The treehouse has a bird feeder outside the bedroom window and guests often wake to the sight of a Greater Spotted Woodpecker or Nuthatch tucking into its breakfast!

We also have a wildlife track camera in the treehouse which guests can borrow. Simply set it up overnight on a tree where you think you might capture some images. Return in the morning to see what you’ve caught and if you wish we can download the results and email them to you as a momento from your stay.

Spring is a particularly good time to walk in the nearby woods to see dazzling displays of bluebells and wild garlic.

Our wild flower meadow is home to a variety of wild flowers and rare meadow grasses including Common Spotted Orchid, Ox-eye Daisy, Greater Bird’s Foot Trefoil, Betony, Meadow Vetchling, Quaking Grass and Tufted Vetch. During the spring and summer numerous butterflies can be spotted such as Red Admiral, Peacock, Meadow Brown,  Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Common Blue, Brimstone and Scarlet Tiger Moth. You can picnic in the flower meadow during your stay.

We are working hard to help and improve both the woodland and meadow habitat and as such we have a woodland management plan, we’re installing bat, bird and dormouse boxes, and are active members of the local Parish Grasslands Project.