Location

View Hebe's Wood in a larger map   /   Click on the blue marker to get directions.

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Yellow = Boundary

Where are we?

Hebe’s Wood is situated about 2½ miles west of Rutland Water. It is situated on a ridge less than a mile south of Braunston-in-Rutland village (not to be confused with nearby Braunston in Northamptonshire or Braunstone in Leicestershire).

In the aerial photograph, we have a picture of Hebe’s Wood in 2005. Taken from the south, you can just see Braunston village in the top right hand corner. The road coming south out of Braunston is called Wood Lane and leads directly to our wood (but only if you carry straight on at the top of the hill instead of carrying on round to the left on your way to Ridlington).

On the picture we have put a yellow line round the boundary of our wood. You will not find Hebe’s Wood on any ordnance survey map (SK80/90 entitled Rutland Water), but you should find Bushy Wood, part of Hebe’s Wood and adjoining HaycockSpinney.

Getting There

These links will help you find your way to Hebe's Wood. 

• Map
• By Car
• Walks 
  
  These links will help you find the nearest food and lodging. 
  
  
• The Blue Ball Inn
• The Old Plough Pub
• Gable Cottage B&B

Coming by Car

Looking toward Braunston. Wood lane to the fore and rear, Braunston Rd to the right.

• Get directions via Google Maps

It is possible to drive to the edge of Hebe's Wood. From Braunston Church, go down to the lowest part of the village where Wood Lane starts. After about half a mile the road bends round to the left, but you should carry straight on (the picture above shows the view of the bend as you come away from the wood looking towards Braunston).

The road, still called Wood Lane, was once tarmacked, but is now quite rough. Carry on to an area with three locked gates - you can go no further. You can park here, but be careful to leave enough room for horses to continue up the bridleway. Alternatively, you can park on the side of Wood Lane before it narrows. However, remember that the lane is used by large agricultural vehicles, so please do not block gates or prevent access to the top of the lane.

Map of What You'll See There

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watercolor

Yellow = Boundary

White = Footpath from Braunston

Blue = Bridleway

The pale blue bridleway crosses the wood near the south-east border. This is part of an ancient Green Lane joining Braunston with Launde to the south. As the brideway enters Hebe’s Wood from the north, the picture shows it going through a tree-lined path (still known as Wood Lane) before opening out into the field. Just before the bridleway leaves the Wood at the south edge it passes one of the four ponds (you can’t see any of these from above as they are covered by a tree canopy.)

The white footpath also comes up from Braunston across the fields. It allows the walker to see all the fields, the plantation and one of the ponds. It enters the wood across a narrow footbridge, through the eastern field, and enters the plantation for a while. It crosses the other two fields and skirts a pond just before leaving the wood.

What a picture!

The photo shows the three very different parts of Hebe’s Wood:

1. Bushy Wood. This is in the middle of the dark green area on the north-west side of the picture. It is a .7 hectare fragment of ancient semi-natural woodland and has been traditionally managed as coppice, but this regime ceased probably in the 19^th century. The woodlands have developed into high forest
2. Plantation. Surrounding Bushy Wood, with the footpath crossing the south-east corner, 3.7ha was planted in 1994 as a native broad leaf plantation
3. 3 Fields. 12.1ha was agricultural land comprising 3 fields, two of which were pasture land and the largest, most easterly one, was cultivated. They have now been left untouched for at least the last 10 years and are reverting to natural woodland.

Hebe’s Wood is surrounded by species-rich hedges. The hedge on the north side is of particular interest as it marks the ancient boundary between the parish of Braunston and Leighfield Forest.