The 44-hectare Three Brooks Nature Reserve, near the Willowbrook Shopping Centre at Bradley Stoke, is an area of woodland, hedgerows and paths with a lake, brooks, pond areas, a community orchard and wildflower meadows, near the Willowbrook Shopping Centre.
Three Brooks Nature Reserve is made up of Webb’s Wood, Savages Wood, Sherbourne’s Brake, The Tump, Three Brooks Lake and the Community Orchard.
The three brooks (Hortham Brook, Stoke Brook and Bradley Brook) that give the nature reserve its name connect at the lake.
Its rich mix of habitats provides a valuable home to a wide range of wildlife, including reed buntings, skylarks, great crested newts, and slowworms.
A decoy airfield with cardboard aeroplanes was constructed west of the wood during World War II. Some of the fields were bombed during World War II leaving four large craters. Three have been left untouched and can be found by exploring the woods.
Three Brooks Nature Reserve is owned by South Gloucestershire Council and is managed in partnership with local community group Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group, including Bradley Stoke Town Council.
Here are 33 photos from our visit to Three Brooks Nature Reserve:
1. Owl sculpture
We came across a wooden owl sculpture at Savages Wood in the area behind the leisure centre.
2. Picnic tables
We came across a couple of picnic tables next to the lake: the perfect spot for a picnic on a nice sunny day.
3. River
Patchway Brook runs across the middle of the nature reserve.
4. Savages Wood information board
The Savages Wood information board includes a map of the nature reserve as well as information on the fauna and flora living in Savages Wood and an activity corner. We needed to use some water to defrost the board during our visit tin order to read it.