Woodland for sale

Set within the picturesque landscapes of rural mid Devon, Clinton Wood sits near the base of a small valley that rises from the Little Dart River. The prominent conifer trees stand tall adjacent to areas of both young woodland and ancient replanted broadleaved woodland and overlook farmland at the north.

The topography of the woodland gently slopes north from around 90 metres to 75 metres above sea level.

Single bank fishing rights are included in the sale where the woodland adjoins part of the riverbank within the woodland. It is understood that salmon and brown trout were previously present.

The woodland benefits from being within walking distance of the village of Chawleigh which has two pubs and a village shop.

Trees

Douglas fir trees planted in 1966 form the current canopy of Clinton Wood. These impressive conifer trees have been well maintained by a regular thinning regime resulting in some excellent timber trees which could be used for forestry projects or a further thinning to provide a future income.

A good amount of light penetrates the canopy helping form a diverse shrub layer which includes beech and hazel trees.

Along the hedge banks there is a mix of trees including numerous hazel coppice stools.

Wildlife

The presence of the Little River Dart along part of the north western boundary of the woodland provides an interesting habitat which is frequented by herons, kingfishers and grey wagtails and is likely to be used by otters.

Within the woodland buzzards roost within the upper canopy of the large conifer trees and badgers and foxes forage the forest floor.

Features

At the entrance to the woodland there is a private stoned area for parking and a ride stop indicating the entrance.

There is a cut path into the woodland which winds down to join an older track which heads east to west.

Access, tracks and footpaths

Access is via a country lane just to the east of the village of Chawleigh via a gate to a shared access track. There is a stoned forestry track which leads all the way to the woodland entrance.

Rights and covenants

As is the case for all our woodlands, the purchaser will be asked to enter into a covenant which serves to protect the peace and quiet of the woodland.

Activities

Clinton Wood is ideally suited to small scale forestry projects with a ready-made timber resource supplied by the mature Douglas fir trees. The owner could hire in a mobile sawmill to utilise some of this timber to plank up, perhaps even to build a forestry store (subject to any permissions required).

Alternatively for the less adventurous simply sit back and enjoy the woodland and let mother nature do the work.

Within the understorey of the woodland hazel stools are thriving with the amount of sunlight that penetrates the tree canopy and can be coppiced to give materials for green woodworking projects.

Clinton Wood is perfect for occasional overnight stays, with open area throughout the woodland providing an ideal place to pitch a tent.

Local area and history

Clinton Wood takes its name from the Clinton Devon Estates, which is the largest private landowner in Devon but namely the 21st Baron Clinton, Charles Trefusis. Lord Clinton had a great interest in forestry and was the Chairman of the Forestry Commission from 1927 to 1929.

The Forestry Commission was established after World War 1 to re-stock the timber resources of the nation after many woodlands were felled to provide materials for the war effort. There is a famous tale of the first major meeting of the Forestry Commission in London where Lord Clinton & Lord Frazer, both owners of large estates and founding commissioners, decided to hold a competition to plant the first new Commission Forest.

Probably unsurprisingly Lord Clinton arrived in Devon first at Eggesford train station right near Chawleigh and swiftly organised his estate staff to planting Douglas fir trees in part of Eggesford Forest. This new woodland was planted by the 8th of December 1919 and is now called Flashdown Wood, which is open to the public. The story goes that Lord Clinton sent a telegram of his achievement to Lord Frazer which he received as he stepped of the train after a long journey to Scotland!

Eggesford train station is part of the Tarka Line, one of the most picturesque routes in England that goes from Exeter to Barnstaple and is a short journey from the woodland.

The north coast of Devon is within a 50 minute drive of the woodland as is a fantastic place to explore via the south west coast path as well as enjoying the surfing beaches of Croyde, Westward Ho! and Saunton Sands to name a few.