Woodford Bottom and Lamb's Pool

Lamb's Pool

Jim Asher

Woodford Bottom and Lamb's Pool

Herons fish in the pool on the River Stour and wild flowers thrive in the marshes.

Location

6 miles south-west of Banbury
Oxfordshire

OS Map Reference

SP 352 361

what3words: short.songbook.concerned
A static map of Woodford Bottom and Lamb's Pool

Know before you go

Size
5 hectares
z

Entry fee

No
P

Parking information

From Hook Norton, take road north towards Sibford Ferris; after 1.5 miles park on left at bottom of hill

Access

Flat; some bumpy places, soft when wet; approach is flooded in winter; gate

Dogs

On a lead

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

March to August

About the reserve

Wet habitats

Lamb's Pool reserve is made up of a man-made lake, hedges and pollarded willows. The pool, popular with anglers through the years, is fed by a stream which forms the head of the River Stour. Reed sweet-grass and common reedmace flourish at its shallow eastern marshes with occasional bursts of handsome yellow iris, marsh-marigold, ragged-robin, water mint, meadowsweet and fool's watercress. White-legged damselfly has been recorded here.

Birds and bats

A small, scrub-covered island in the middle of the lake is popular with breeding species such as tufted duck and coot. Snipe, barn owl and lapwing have been glimpsed nearby. Heron and kingfisher use the pool for hunting and fishing. The reserve is surrounded by fields and buzzards and song thrush can be seen and heard close by. The pool, one of three open water areas in the valley linked by hedges, is ideal hunting ground for bats. Pipistrelle, Daubenton's and noctule bats have all been spotted here.

 

Contact us

Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT)
Contact number: 01865 775476
Contact email: info@bbowt.org.uk