Bank Woods

Bank Woods

This site, with its Internationally Important ancient meadows is our main site, where most of our events and activities take place.

We were delighted to acquire this 111 acre (45 ha) site at Bank Woods, just outside Summerbridge, near Harrogate, in 2017. With its steep gradients, and varying habitats, we knew it had wonderful potential for rewilding. Bank Woods is in Nidderdale National Landscape (previously known as Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

Here there is semi-improved pasture, gorse and upland scrub, waterlogged grassland, several small streams and four areas of wonderful ancient woodland. You can read more about what make ancient woodland so precious here. This includes many veteran trees, which are recorded on the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory. We also have a small historic stone barn, complete with intersting architectural features, and a resident barn owl. Old maps show a fort on the highest part of the land, and it is rumoured that this may date from the Iron-age.

The upper part of the reserve is managed as a rewilding project. We introduced a small herd of Belted Galloway cows in 2018, and from Autumn 2020 to Spring 2025 hosted six Exmoor ponies from the Yorkshire Exmoor Pony Trust. These are our conservation grazing teams, performing a vital role in spreading wild flower seed, trampling the ground and maintaining paths through the gorse. You can sponsor a member of our Conservation Grazing Team as an unusual gift here.

We have created beautiful wild woodlands at Bank Woods, planting 9,000 trees with support from The Woodland Trust. They are mainly to reconnect the ancient woodlands, and we know that the wildlife of the ancient woodland is moving in, thanks to moth surveys.

Other habitat creation work we have done includes:

• digging several wildlife ponds, you can sponsor one here
• Restoration of a wildflower hay meadow, which is getting better every year. You can sponsor it here.
• Creation of numerous ‘leaky dams’ to create new habitat and reduce flooding downstream.
• We have 40 bird boxes in our ancient woodland, and incorporated into our new barn. You can dedicate them here.

Many of the thousands of trees we have planted at Bank Woods have been allocated as dedications or sponsorships by individuals or businesses. Many of them have been planted as part of our popular carbon offsetting schemes, described here.

If you would like to spend some time in wonderful Nidderdale, surrounded by our nature reserves, you could stay at Heather Lea, our luxury eco-friendly self catering holiday cottage. It sleeps 8, and has fabulous views across Nidderdale.

In January 2020, Bank Woods was designated as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation, due to the huge number of wild flowers found here.

In December 2025, the ancient meadows here were recognised as Internationally Important, due to the large number of threatened grassland fungi.

Woodland activities

The stunning offgrid barn is the base for a programme of woodland activities and experiences at Bank Woods. We also welcome people into our beautiful outdoor spaces for a variety of wellbeing, educational and rural craft sessions. You can read about them here. If you would like to bring a school or similar group, for volunteering, bird watching, nature walk, or similar activity, please contact us.

Directions

Bank Woods is located just south of Summerbridge, on the B6165. It is not generally open to the public. For pre-booked activities, there is limited parking, and we encourage the use of public transport or car sharing if possible. A public footpath passes near the southern edge of the site.

Summerbridge is on the bus route between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge. The grid reference is SE 20455 61680

Platform Nature

Would you like to support our work?

Here is an easy way to help: