I first tried to set a cache here on 16th. April and this area was gorgeous: the flowers were lush and we seemed to be followed through the woods by a cuckoo - two weeks before Radio 4's 'Today' programmes had listeners phoning in to say they'd heard their first cuckoo.
This area is NOT in the SSSI - but I think it was once owned by the Woodland Trust and they moved the boundary back to the left of this path, as on the banks of the river to the right there are still some sections of unsecured barbed wire which I keep hoping someone will remove. Be aware if you have dogs or children who want to paddle in the stream.
After the cache, if you turn right you can follow the track to 'Deer Prints' and 'Blue Carpet' - but on 20.7.12, I had to give up after going a fair way along it as it was too muddy - and too narrow to avoid the mud. If you want to try it, wellies are currently a must. And the midges were legion.
If you turn left and go through the gate, you enter the SSSI. Muddy - though not as bad - and on 20.7.12, the mud was completely covered in deer prints. Follow that path and just ahead on the right the track splits and there's a bench just there which is an excellent spot to pause and listen to the woods.