Lineover Wood

Lineover Wood
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Lineover Woods – Dowdeswell Woods beyond on the left
Shown within Gloucestershire
Area of Search	Gloucestershire
Grid reference	SO987187
Coordinates	51°52′02″N 2°01′10″W / 51.867326°N 2.01956°W / 51.867326; -2.01956Coordinates: 51°52′02″N 2°01′10″W / 51.867326°N 2.01956°W / 51.867326; -2.01956
Interest	Biological
Area	20.3 hectare
Notification	1986
Natural England website

Lineover Wood (grid reference SO987187) is a 20.3-hectare (50-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1986.^[1]^[2]

The site is owned and managed by the Woodland Trust, and is near the communities of Charlton Kings, Cheltenham and Dowdeswell. The Cotswold Way National Trail runs through the site, crossing the A40 from the opposite side of the valley where it runs along the edge of Dowdeswell Woods and below the dam of Dowdeswell Reservoir.

The site is listed in the 'Cotswold District' Local Plan 2001-2011 (on line) as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).^[3]

Location

The site is in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is on the north-facing slope of the scarp and is steep. It overlies limestone of the Inferior Oolite and clays and sands of the Upper Lias layer. The designated site is part of a larger woodland area which has been replanted with conifers and broad-leaved species. There are seepage areas and a spring in the north of the site.^[1]

Woodland

The wood is considered to be a fine example of the ancient semi-natural coppice woodland which was common in the Cotswolds. Species include Ash, Pedunculate Oak, Whitebeam, Small-leaved Lime and Large-leaved Lime (nationally rare). The understorey is Hazel, Field Maple, Hawthorn and there are lime-loving shrubs in particular areas.^[1]

Flora

The steep slopes support Bramble and Dog's Mercury. At the base of the slope Meadow Saffron and Herb Paris may be found, for example. There are recorded rare plants which include Angular Solomon's Seal and Lily-of-the-valley.^[1]

Fauna

The site is known for beetles including uncommon species. There are a wide variety of butterflies and moths recorded including the Pearl-bordered Fritillary.^[1]

References

SSSI Source

External links

Media related to Lineover Wood at Wikimedia Commons

Natural England (SSSI information)

Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire

Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)

Ashleworth Ham Astridge Wood Badgeworth Barnsley Warren Barton Bushes Bigsweir Woods Blaisdon Hall Bourton Down Box Farm Meadows Boxwell Brassey Brooks Head Grove Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Railway Tunnel Bull Cross, The Frith and Juniper Hill Bushley Muzzard, Brimpsfield Caerwood and Ashberry Goose House Chaceley Meadow Clarke's Pool Meadow Cleeve Common Cockleford Marsh Collinpark Wood Coombe Hill Canal Coombe Hill Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods Cotswold Water Park Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake Daneway Banks Dean Hall Coach House & Cellar Devil's Chapel Scowles Dingle Wood Dixton Wood Dymock Woods Edge Common Elmlea Meadows Frampton Pools Highbury Wood Hobbs Quarry Hornsleasow Roughs Hucclecote Meadows Innsworth Meadow Juniper Hill, Edgeworth Kempley Daffodil Meadow Kingscote and Horsley Woods Lark Wood Leckhampton Hill and Charlton Kings Common Lineover Wood Lower Woods Lower Wye Gorge May Hill Midger Minchinhampton Common Nagshead Old Bow and Old Ham Mines Old River Severn, Upper Lode Pennsylvania Fields, Sedbury Poor's Allotment Puckham Woods Range Farm Fields River Wye Rodborough Common Rough Bank, Miserden Salmonsbury Meadows Selsley Common Severn Estuary Severn Ham, Tewkesbury Shorn Cliff and Caswell Woods Slade Brook Soudley Ponds Speech House Oaks Stenders Quarry Stinchcombe Hill Strawberry Banks Swanpool Wood and Furnace Grove Swift's Hill Sylvan House Barn The Hudnalls The Malvern Hills Tudor Farm Bank Turvey's Piece Upper Severn Estuary Upham Meadow and Summer Leasow Upper Wye Gorge Walmore Common Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine Whelford Meadow Wigpool Ironstone Mine Wildmoorway Meadows Winson Meadows Woodchester Park Workman's Wood Wotton Hill Yarley Meadows

Neighbouring areas Avon Hereford and Worcester Oxfordshire Wiltshire

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