- Ainsbury Avenue, Thackley, BD10 0TL
- Open 24 hours a day, all year round
- Accessibility route
- BMX track
- Cycle route
- Nature reserve
- Public sculpture
- Walking routes
Ainsbury Avenue, Thackley, BD10 0TL
Access
what3word location: https://what3words.com/palm.tried.ranks
Quick description
For more than 3,300 years this area has been a hub of activity, beginning with a Bronze Age enclosure. Nowadays, it is still a go–to spot for those who appreciate outdoor activities such as walking, cycling, and horse riding.
What’s there?
An Ancient Semi Natural Woodland that lies north of the urban village of Thackley,.
On the north-western side of Buck Wood, the canal runs parallel to the River Aire, making an eastward bend as it follows the river’s course. The woodland forms a broad semi-circular zone above the Aire Valley, with small long-established fields. Buck Wood is part of a chain of forests that create a woodland corridor along the Aire Valley.
Buck Wood spans approximately 42 hectares of land, with a highest elevation of 135m above sea-level along its eastern boundary of Ainsbury Avenue. The north-western boundary is formed by the canal and river valley lying at around 60m in elevation. Meanwhile, the Wood is bordered to the north by Field Wood which is owned by Yorkshire Water, and to the south by farmland and the streets and houses of Thackley.
The Stones of Buck Wood
The fossils in Buck Wood date back to a time around 300 million years ago when the land was covered in a tropical forest of giant tree-like plants.
The Friends of Buck Wood have created the following resources to inform people about fossils and other ancient stones located within the Wood:
Buck Wood stones: https://friendsofbuckwood.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/buck_wood_stones_a4.pdf
History
The pre-historic enclosure
The enclosure, a scheduled monument, in Buck Wood adds further to the story of human activity in the Aire Valley stretching back to the Bronze Age.
Its low bank is hard to make out but has a diameter of up 90m and was likely reused during the Iron Age. There is a plethora of Bronze Age rock art found throughout he wood. With the most obvious being a series of cup- and ring-marked stones by the enclosure. – Goddard, C. (2021). The West Yorkshire Woods. Gritstone Publishing Company
Millstone
More recently, just a mere 700 years ago, the area known as Buck Wood was quarried throughout for use of the millstone grit. Part-carved millstones can still be found amongst the trees.
Buck Mill
The woodland takes its current name from the Buck family who bought the site in the early 17th century. The now peaceful place was once a hive of activity, and a grand mill occupied an area of land between the canal and river. Remnants of the mill buildings are still present and can be found with careful exploration on the slope to the west of the canal.
Natural history
The landscape
Buck Wood is part of an extensive area of woodland flanking the slopes above the River Aire north of Thackley. The water corridors of the river and canal provide additional complementary habitat to that of the mature woodland. Pastures are also part of the landscape tapestry and altogether these areas provide ecological niches for numerous species.
Birds
Birds are perhaps the most evident when you first arrive in the woodland. In spring you may be lucky enough to hear the ‘fluting’ call of nuthatch as they claim territory in the veteran oak trees. The pastures provide open areas where redwing and fieldfares can feed on invertebrates through winter. As you walk along the field and woodland interface watch for these migrant thrushes as they peel away to the relative safety of the taller trees.
Plants and wildlife
Sunshine yellow of lesser celandine greets woodland visitors in early spring and following them is a succession of colour as other ancient woodland indicators come into flower.
Watch and listen for insect pollinators as they buzz through the air searching for flowers to feed upon pollen and nectar. The dark-edged bee-fly can be spotted along woodland edges where the sun breaks through the canopy.
Look closely to find the tiny female flowers of the hazel. They emerge from buds alongside the male catkins.
Fallow deer use the woodland for shelter and browse upon the broadleaved trees as they flush with fresh growth. Adjacent grassland provides grasses and herbs where the deer can sometimes be seen feeding. These large mammals can readily blend into the wooded landscape with their broken fur pattern providing camouflage against bark and vegetation.
Resources
The Friends of Buck Woods (Buck Woodlies) website:
The Friends of Buck Woods (Buck Woodlies) Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/328691951373148
Thackley and Idle history files:
www.thackleyandidlehistoryfiles.org