Riverside Wood

Have you ever walked the familiar paths of The Byes and felt you know every twist and turn? What if a pocket of truly natural woodland, a glimpse into our area's wilder past, was hidden in plain sight all along?

'Riverside Wood' is the informal name given to a special area of woodland right in the heart of our community. You can find it running along the River Sid, specifically alongside Margaret's Meadow and Gilchrist Field within The Byes.

One of its most distinct geographical features is its location. Unlike most other surveyed woods around Sidmouth, which are found on higher ground, Riverside Wood is a "lower ground" woodland, lending it a damp, lush character where the light filters differently through the leaves.

Among the many beautiful green spaces in our area, Riverside Wood stands out as a more "natural" and locally "interesting" broadleaf woodland. It offers a window into what our local landscape looked like before modern forestry practices.

The single most important reason for its unique status is what’s missing. What makes it truly unique among the dozen local woodlands surveyed is the complete absence of "introduced conifer plantation species." Many of our other beloved local woodlands, such as Harpford Wood, Fire Beacon Plantation, Bulverton Hill Plantation, and Core Hill Wood, contain significant sections of conifers planted for timber. Riverside Wood, by contrast, retains its pure, native broadleaf character.

The woodland floor here supports a wonderful variety of plant species, creating a changing tapestry of color and life throughout the seasons. Look closely, and you might find:

• Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis)

• Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis)

• Stinking Iris (Iris foetidissima)

• Ramsons or Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum)

• Pink Purslane (Claytonia sibirica)

• Wood Dock (Rumex sanguineus)

• Wood Speedwell (Veronica montana)

• Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)

More subtle records from the wood include a very small colony of Yellow pimpernel (Lysimachia nemorum), covering no more than a couple of square metres. The presence of Dog's mercury is also noteworthy; botanists consider it an 'ancient woodland indicator,' often suggesting that a woodland habitat has existed on a site for centuries, even if the trees we see today are not the original ones.

Riverside Wood is a precious and distinct local habitat, a living example of our area's native woodland character thriving without introduced species. Its preservation is a reminder of the natural beauty that can exist right on our doorstep. The next time you walk The Byes, will you look for the subtle signs that separate a managed park from a truly wild place?