Sacriston Wood

About the Site

Sacriston Wood is an ancient woodland site, which now supports mixed deciduous woodland. Oak is common in the wood along with silver birch and sycamore. The scrub layer is diverse with holly, hawthorn, hazel and rowan occurring throughout. The ground flora varies from a dry grassland below the oak-birch canopy to wet flushed areas. Wood-sorrel, dog’s mercury, meadowsweet, wood horsetail and ragged robin can be seen in the wetter areas at the eastern section of the wood.

A small area of Norway spruce and Scot’s pine has been planted. There are areas of lying and standing dead elm scattered through the site on the upper slopes.

The ground flora is dominated by a mixture of bramble, creeping soft-grass and honeysuckle with broad-buckler fern. Bluebell and wood anemone are frequent in the north.

Several streams and watercourses pass through the site and influence the ground flora. In these areas, lesser celandine, meadowsweet and opposite-leaved golden-saxifrage can be found. Moist seepage lines can be seen where dog’s mercury, ramsons and lords and ladies grow.

A pond occurs on the northern edge of the site where lesser reedmace is abundant with a fringe of soft-rush. The southern edge of the pond holds willow scrub and marsh marigold.

Willow scrub occurs within an old quarry working where colt’s-foot, soft rush and water horsetail are found.

Sacriston Wood

Location

Sacriston Wood is located to the immediate north-west of Sacriston village. To reach Sacriston, head north west of Durham on the B6532 towards Stanley.

Grid reference: NZ 233 487

Facilities

None.

Enquiries

Countryside Group
Durham County Council
Environment
County Hall
Durham
DH1 5UQ
Tel: 0191 3833594