Friends of St Leonard’s Forest © 2010 All Rights Reserved
The forest today
Nowadays, St Leonard's is no longer a giant forest but a patchwork of woodlands and heath, interspersed with areas of farmland. It is intersected by a series of streams, or gills (ghylls) as they are known locally.
The forest is bounded roughly by the towns of Horsham and Crawley on the north and the villages of Lower Beeding and Handcross on the south, covering just over 12 square miles in area. It stands on a dome shaped plateau of the Hastings Beds, rising from about 80 to 130 metres, dissected by steep-sided gills that feed the Rivers Adur and the Ouse. The Arun rises in the forest and joins the sea, after 45 miles, at Littlehampton.
Heathland is a fast disappearing and rare habitat. It exists only on sandy soils in Britain and the edge of North West Europe and is of international importance. For many plants and animals e.g. silver studded blue butterfly, stonechat, bilberry, and reptiles, heathland is the main habitat.
In the past, heathlands survived because they were managed, but now neglect is one of the main reasons for their loss. Other vegetation invades and smothers them. Some of the first plants to invade are Birch, Bracken and Rhododendron.
West Sussex County Council manages about 20 hectares (50 acres) of heathland at St Leonard's Forest under a Countryside Stewardship agreement with DEFRA. However the whole site is very important for a range of habitats and volunteer work is not necessarily confined to heathland.
Especially on fine weekends, the forest tracks are used for leisure by walkers, joggers, horse riders and cyclists. Motor bikes are not allowed in the forest.
It’s a great place for children, under supervision, to explore, play amongst giant trees and perhaps watch for deer.
On some weekends you may see a Landrover with two or three cars parked nearby. That’ll be us, working to protect the heathland. Please come and have a word with us and if it’s ‘elevenses’ time, you will be very welcome to a cuppa and a biscuit.
The forest is bounded roughly by the towns of Horsham and Crawley on the north and the villages of Lower Beeding and Handcross on the south, covering just over 12 square miles in area. It stands on a dome shaped plateau of the Hastings Beds, rising from about 80 to 130 metres, dissected by steep-
Heathland is a fast disappearing and rare habitat. It exists only on sandy soils in Britain and the edge of North West Europe and is of international importance. For many plants and animals e.g. silver studded blue butterfly, stonechat, bilberry, and reptiles, heathland is the main habitat.
In the past, heathlands survived because they were managed, but now neglect is one of the main reasons for their loss. Other vegetation invades and smothers them. Some of the first plants to invade are Birch, Bracken and Rhododendron.
West Sussex County Council manages about 20 hectares (50 acres) of heathland at St Leonard's Forest under a Countryside Stewardship agreement with DEFRA. However the whole site is very important for a range of habitats and volunteer work is not necessarily confined to heathland.
Especially on fine weekends, the forest tracks are used for leisure by walkers, joggers, horse riders and cyclists. Motor bikes are not allowed in the forest.
It’s a great place for children, under supervision, to explore, play amongst giant trees and perhaps watch for deer.
On some weekends you may see a Landrover with two or three cars parked nearby. That’ll be us, working to protect the heathland. Please come and have a word with us and if it’s ‘elevenses’ time, you will be very welcome to a cuppa and a biscuit.