Miner's Way

Ancient Woodlands

Among the most important and striking of the habitats of East Kent are the bluebell and wild flower rich, ancient woodlands. Ancient woodlands are those which can be traced back to being in existence before 1600. This date roughly marks the beginning of accurate mapping and coincides with significant changes in the countryside as more woodlands were planted, fields enclosed with hedges and large, landscaped estates became more prevalent.

It is possible to recognise remnant areas of ancient woodland by the different plant species that can be found growing there, particularly bluebells, primroses and wood anemones. These species are very slow to spread and so are rarely found in recently planted woodlands.

Hedges

Hedges are another special feature of this landscape, dividing up arable fields and linking many of the areas of woodland together. They are important corridors down which wildlife can travel, providing food, shelter and safety for birds and animals allowing them to move between habitats without being exposed to the danger of crossing large fields.

Hedges were managed through a method known as hedge-laying, where hedge shrubs and trees are cut three-quarters of the way through as low to the ground as possible and then laid over. They would then be held in place by cut posts and sometimes bound along the top using withies of hazel or other pliable species. This created a solid, stock-proof barrier, encouraging new growth from the cut stems and additional vertical growth from the laid stems, and continued as a traditional form of hedgerow now being reintroduced by conservation groups for the benefit it has for wildlife and as a way of ensuring hedges remain an important landscape feature.

How to age a hedge

It is often possible to age a hedge by simply counting the different number of tree species found. As you walk along a hedge, roughly estimate thirty metres and count the number of different species in that length. Each species you find is equivalent to a hundred years that hedge has been there, for example 3 species = 300 years. Obviously this only works on hedges which are mature, with large trees, or on top of banks and ditches both of which are often ancient boundary features. Look for some of these typical hedge trees when you are out exploring the countryside.

Ash	Elder	Hawthorn
Hazel	Maple	Spindle

Spinney Wood

Spinney Wood is a fragment of ancient woodland which once covered this area of Kent and is an important community woodland for Aylesham. It is leased by the Parish Council and managed, through grant support from the Forestry Commission, by WCCP. The wood is actively coppiced and supports a wide variety of rare plant and animal species including many unusual fungi. Bluebells, wood anemones, yellow archangel, butchers broom and lady orchid are among the rare and important plants which can be found flowering here.

The woodland is openly accessible to all and you are welcome to explore it at any time.

Jack Foat's Trust

The strip of land to the south of Ash is owned and managed by the Jack Foat Trust. Foat was an Ash fruit farmer who left a bequest to the parish after his death which has been used to purchase the land for informal recreation and to benefit wildlife. Trees have been planted, ponds dug, paths improved and the pasture here is often grazed by sheep. This is a great place to explore hedges and identify the trees growing in them and keep an eye out for grass snakes hunting in the pond. You are welcome to enjoy the site, but please ensure you close the gates behind you.