park country rwell - Discover Suffolk

1 country orwellparkORWELL country PARKO rwell country park was officially opened to the pub-lic in 1995. Since then it has continued to grow in size and facil-ities. orwell country park now consists of approx. 80 hectares(200 acres) and provides a variety of walks, car parks and infor-mation. There are a number of wildlife and landscape designa-tions which cover various areas of the country park , underpin-ning the importance of the country park . These include CountyWildlife Sites, Ancient Woodlands, Sites of Special ScientificInterest (SSSI), and some of the park is within the Suffolk Coastand Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). We hope you enjoy your visit to orwell country remember to keep to the paths, ensure dogs are underclose control, andrespect all otherusers and LaneBridge WoodThe woodland is designated an ancient means the land has been managed continuously as wood-land since at least 1600AD.

2 Currently the woodland is predom-inantly made up of sycamore, corsican pine, and scots pine andthere are also areas of broad-leaved Wood also contains a number of large Englishoaks, some of which are more than 400 years old. Many ofthese trees are pollards. Pollarding is a traditional type of treemanagement where by timber is cut and removed from the treeat head height. The tree can then regrow at this height withoutbeing grazed by cattle or deer. Within the wood you will alsofind areas of hazel / elm and sycamore coppice. These aremanaged for timber by cutting them near to the ground andallowing new shoots to regrow from the stump. Both coppicingand pollarding provide rare habitats, which support an abun-dance of wildlife.

3 In the spring, before the trees have fully developedleaves, the ground is covered with bluebells, wood anemoneand moschatel. Later in the summer the foxgloves take advan-tage of the dappled shade provided by the trees and add aburst of colour under the trees. The wood is also home to awide variety of birds and animals. On quiet mornings foxes androe deer are often seen throughout the park . Green woodpeck-ers, nuthatches and nightingales are also frequent ValePipers Vale has been enjoyed by the people ofIpswich for hundreds of years and was purchased by theBorough Council in 1926. It is known locally as The Lairs , adialect word meaning a piece of rough recreational land.

4 Thearea is a remnant of the coastal Sandlings heath that oncestretched from Ipswich to Lowestoft. Pipers Vale is particularlyinteresting because of it s variety of habitats including heath,scrub, reedbeds and alder carr. This variety of habitats allows anumber of uncommon plants to be found in a small area. Theseinclude sulphur cinquefoil, hemlock water-dropwort and mead-ow-rue. These habitats also support a wide variety of than 100 species of birds have been seen in this areaincluding redwing, whimbrel and bullfinch. Management work isundertaken to maintain the variety of habitats and prevent thearea becoming wooded and road Pipers Valecar park is at the junction of Sandy Hill Lane andGainsborough Woodcar park is off the Nacton Road, along the formerairfield perimeter track and over the A14 bridge before turningsharp right down to the footIn addition to the two main entrances there are footpaths into thepark from Braziers Wood Road, Platters Close, and BusThe bus from Tower Ramparts takes you to the Pipers ValeCar park on Sandy Hill Lane.

5 For further details contact IpswichBuses on 0800 country Parkhow to findOrwell country Parkis grant aided by theDEFRA StewardshipSchemeand the ForestryCommission WoodlandGrant River orwell has always been of vital importanceto both the people of Ipswich and the wildlife of the East estuary is of international importance for wildlife, particularlyfor the birds that feed on the mudflatsat low tide. These include wigeon,shelduck, oystercatcher and dunlin. Incenturies past, merchants unloadingshipping used the eastern bank andthere were also a number of shipyardslocated in this area. It is thought thatBridge Wood could have got its namefrom an old Roman crossing pointknown as a bridge.

6 This path was made up of shale and stoneand allowed people to cross the river at low tide. A band of shalecan still be seen today at low tide near the present orwell current bridge was opened in 1982 and is 1286 metres longand more than 41 metres in height from the Hall FarmPond Hall Farm is a Grade II listed building which liesbetween Bridge Wood and Pipers Vale. In the Middle Ages it waspart of the Manor de Alnesbourne et ponds, held by the Prior ofthe nearby Alnesbourne Priory. It has been suggested that hereponds does not mean a small pool, but comes from the latinpons or bridge. As it is a busy working farm, please keep to thefootpaths around the farm and ensure dogs are firmly on a WoodBraziers Wood consists largely of a central valley witha small spring fed brook.

7 There are a wide variety of habitats tobe found in and immediately around this small valley. On thesteeper slopes there are areas of ancient woodland made up ofmature oak and silver birch trees. In the valley bottom unim-proved grassland grades in to wet marsh and alder carr wood-land. These wet areas are dominated in spring by opposite-leaved golden saxifrage, moschatel and marsh marigolds. orwell CountryPark is owned and managedby Ipswich Borough to day management isundertaken by the RangerService. The management ofOrwell country park is gov-erned by three overridingaims; To preserve and enhance the nature conservation value of the park To promote appropriate recreational use of the park To provide an educational resourceIn addition to these three main aims woodlandareas are managed to provide a sustainable timber productwhile maximising the opportunities for management work is carried outthroughout the year by Ipswich Borough Council s RangerService.

8 Work is increasingly supported by grants and spon-sorship from various organisations and local play a very important role in the management ofthe park , helping with much of the large practical work, anda group of interested local people called the Friends ofOrwell country park are constantly caring for the you would like to find out more about theCountry park or get involved in practical work please con-tact the Ranger Service on the address country ParkIpswich Borough Council Ranger ServiceThe Stable BlockHolywells ParkCliff Lane, IpswichSuffolk IP3 OPGTel:(01473) country park managementWe hope you enjoy your visit to orwell country park but please have respect for wildlife and other people using keep your dog under close control at all times and do not allow it to disturb wildlife.

9 Please use the poop scoop bins keep to the paths to avoid damaging plants or disturbing cycling is permitted in any part of the country take your litter home. No one else wants to see it and it could kill small animals and light fires or camp in the country park , it can be very is an offence to pick flowers or disturb wildlife in the country park . Please protect what is here and leave it for others to see. orwell country PARKmap of areaLegendWide trackFootpathSlopeWet areasConcrete foundationsStreamsCar parkingInformation pointsPicnic benchesOpen / scrublandPredominantly coniferous woodlandDeciduous woodlandPrivate PropertyWaterElectric linesPipers Vale Foreshore path(sponsored by M&S Ipswich)Lairs Legstretcher [ ]Woodland Wander [ ] orwell Orbital[6km/31/2m]PxiGreen WoodpeckerRAVENSWOOD