Woodland for sale

Exact Location, viewing Instructions and further details can be found in our brochure below.

Beautiful oak woodland with access, privacy and fishing rights just south of Exmoor National Park.

The Clift occupies the heart of a designated ancient wood on the south side of an archetypal combe valley just outside the southern boundary of Exmoor National Park. The pretty market town of Bampton is 4 miles to the east and the wider facilities of Tiverton are 15 minutes by car. The M5 (junction 27) is 17 miles to the southeast.

The wood lies on gently sloping north-facing ground a short distance above the Iron Mill. This delightful trout stream joins the River Exe about 1½ miles downstream. All the trees here and in the surrounding woods are the natural successors of many generations of native broadleaves, the area being continuously wooded for at least 400 years. Above the valley is a typical Devon landscape of rolling pasture, woods and hedgerows.

The Clift is that rare thing – an oak wood almost completely unadulterated by exotics. The maiden oak stems are estimated to be 50 to 80 years old whilst those from coppice will of course be on much more ancient root stock. Most stems exhibit good form and are growing well in this sheltered site, with the promise of some quality saw-logs from future thinning cycles. Aside from the oak there are a few birch trees and a few young beech in the under-storey. The shrub layer is dominated by hazel plus the occasional holly and blackthorn.

The woodland floor is almost free of entangling vegetation enabling easy access on foot over soft grasses. There is an abundance of ferns, blueberry and seasonal wildflowers including primroses and bluebells.

The Iron Mill valley is delightfully detached from the modern world. Nature holds sway here and the air is filled with birdsong and the murmur of flowing water. Buzzards wheel overhead, red deer browse the glades and in the evening the nocturnal inhabitants emerge – owls, bats, foxes and badgers.

There is a full vehicular right of access to the wood via an all-weather hard track that is suitable for 2WD. The lengths of hard track adjacent to the east and upper south sides of The Clift give good access across the wood.

There are shared fishing rights for two rods on about 900 metres of the south bank of the Iron Mill stream close by.

This wood is beautiful, private and accessible. It is growing some quality timber, it is a rich wildlife habitat and it offers excellent amenity prospects.

Our Forester'sThoughts

Alastair says...

"This ancient woodland is one to enjoy. Camping in some of the more open glades on a summer’s night would be high on my list, while conservation projects might include some light underplanting of natives and protection of emerging oak seedlings. It would be interesting to exclude deer from one or two small areas to monitor the effect on the ground flora.

A felling licence is in place (available from the agent on request). A light thinning could yield some quality oak lumber as well as releasing the retained trees to grow on to full-canopied maturity. I would also remove the few sycamore present to better maintain the native species composition."

Please remember some management operations require approval and/or a licence.