I remember vividly my first visit to Yarner Wood, it was May 1987 and I had travelled from Yorkshire where I then lived. I was a keen bird watcher but living on the east coast had not seen pied flycatchers before so this was the target species for my visit.

I left the car and walked up the path into the wood. The heavy rain of the previous day had raised the humidity inside the woodland, in the cool of the morning mist clung to the trees penetrating far into every crevice of their bark and every hole in their trunks. The mosses, which clung to every tree and rock, thrived doing their best to absorb as much water as possible. Without any movement in the air, the damp heavy woodland smell sank to the ground, for me the aromatic mixture of rotting wood and leaf litter is now reminiscent of that moment. Gradually the sun’s rays began to pierce the dense woodland canopy, its rays raking through the mist like a searchlight. The small pools of light which fell upon the ground moved slowly over the woodland floor picking out new details with every passing moment.

With such sensory stimulus it would have been easy to neglect the sounds but I was a birdwatcher and sound was my principal guide. Overhead was the distinctive song of the wood warbler, its high-pitched notes rising in frequency to form an emphatic crescendo. In the distance the much louder and persistent calls of a nuthatch echoed through the wood. From somewhere in the depths of the valley came a song of real beauty, an unlikely but sublime mixture of staccato and melody. Its clear notes carried through the foliage more effectively than the sight of its creator but this was, without doubt, a redstart. Tantalisingly, I imagined its gorgeous red breast contrasting with black face and slate grey back. Pressing on further up the slopes and into the more open woodland I found some of the nest boxes used by pied flycatchers. I stood and watched as they flew back and forth across the clearing, sallying to catch insects before returning to a favourite perch and ultimately their young.

I was alone and, being honest, felt like an intruder, I was very conscious of my actions and treated the reserve with a great respect. This feeling was difficult to rationalize but I remember the same reaction at other eminent nature reserves around the country, most notably at Cley in Norfolk. Looking back into the history of Yarner it isn’t difficult to see where this feeling might have its roots. Until 1952, when Yarner Wood became a National Nature Reserve, the woodland was in private ownership with no history of public access. In the period from 1952 public access was gradually increased until 1973 when access without a permit was granted. English Nature is now keen to welcome people to explore its natural assets.

Fifteen years elapsed and Yarner had just celebrated its fiftieth anniversary when I was invited back to the reserve by English Nature. Keen to dispel the lingering myth that National Nature Reserves are unwelcoming places they have categorised some of their reserves as ‘Spotlight Reserves’. Of the 200, or so, National Nature Reserves just 31 of these have earned the ‘spotlight’ status. These are the reserves that, to quote Sir Martin Doughty (chair of English Nature) "offer the greatest opportunity to interact with and appreciate the surroundings". The East Dartmoor Woods and Heaths, of which Yarner Wood is a part, is one such reserve.

I was immediately struck by the changes at the entrance to the reserve. A sculpture carved from a felled oak tree stands at the start of the nature trail, its oak leaves moulded in the form of a welcoming gesture. In the corner of the car park a new building has been erected, designed to blend with its surroundings it has combined modern energy saving techniques with simple, traditional features all chosen for their sustainability. This building serves as office space but, more importantly on behalf of the visitor, it has a small interpretation display with maps and reserve leaflets.

I chatted to the site manager, Phil Page, about the development of the reserve. He pointed out that fifty years ago when the land was purchased the woodland was incorrectly believed to be in poor condition and the Forestry Commission had suggested that it was suitable for the growing of a conifer plantation. The ensuing period has seen English Nature working very hard to improve the condition of the woodland for nature. Phil told me that the woodland management was now quite a simple, though labour intensive task, in which 10% of the land area needs to be kept as permanent open space. The singling and thinning of oak trees provides different ages of trees for succession to take place naturally.

Equally important to Phil is the transition between the different areas of the now much larger National Nature Reserve; since 1998 the reserve has included Trendlebere Down and a length of the Bovey Valley Woodland. Phil is keen to stress that the reserve now comprises different habitats, the woodland of Yarner contrasting with the moorland of Trendlebere. Between the oak woodland and open heath there is a natural transition zone of trees where birch is the dominant species. Here you can find tree pipits and nightjar. On Trendlebere Down English Nature works with the local commoners to maintain the moorland by rotational burning and grazing using ponies and the distinctive Belted Galloway.

This reserve must be unique. Where else can you see pied flycatchers, wood warblers and redstart in oak woodland; nightjar, Dartford warbler and tree pipit on the transition between the same wood and adjacent heath and then wander along the riverside to watch dippers and grey wagtails?

I wandered through the wood to see if the same feelings as fifteen years earlier were evoked. It’s probably unfair to compare because this was July and the middle of the day, the temperature was high but inside the wood it was cool. In the clearings butterflies were sunning themselves; the most obvious was the large and beautiful silver-washed fritillary whose flight is characteristically buoyant. The flycatchers had finished nesting but individuals could still be seen, a family group of treecreepers sought food in the bark of a nearby tree and though July isn’t the best time for bird song the wood warblers could still be heard blasting out their irrepressible trill. It felt different, still a magical place for wildlife but I didn’t feel like a trespasser, there were certainly more people visiting but it was still possible to find isolation. Though my familiarity had grown, I know that this is a reserve to be treated with respect but it is also a place where people should be encouraged to visit to experience some of the things that make Devon so special.

Map references. Trendlebere Down car park: 772 796 or 785 793

(Yarner Wood car park is open from 8.30am to 7pm or dusk if it is earlier).

The Yarner Wood site manager, Phil Page, can be contacted on: Tel 01626 832330 More information about English Nature can be found on their website: www.english-nature.org.uk

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