Autumn at Overhall Grove Nature Reserve - Robert Enderby
Overhall Grove
Location
OS Map Reference
TL 337 631
Know before you go
Entry fee
NoParking information
Park in Knapwell and walk down the lane past the church on the north side of the villageGrazing animals
NoWalking trails
Bridge with steps on the way in. Narrow rough paths
Access
Not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs
Dogs
When to visit
Opening times
Open at all timesBest time to visit
All year roundAbout the reserve
Overhall Grove is the largest elm woodland in Cambridgeshire. The elms invaded after traditional management for woodland products declined in the early 1900s. They have been badly affected by Dutch elm disease, but many have regenerated from the base and the mixture of dead wood and new growth is excellent habitat for insects and birds. The wood also contains several large oak trees which are over 250 years old.
In spring, the wood is full of songbirds such as willow and garden warblers and song thrushes, and scattered in some areas are splendid rosettes of oxlip. The remains of a medieval manor surrounded by a moat can still be seen in the northern end of the wood, which is now home to a family of badgers. Their digging has unearthed shards of pottery, which date the manor back to the 11th to 15th centuries.