Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel facts for kids

The Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel is a special place in Gloucestershire, England. It covers about 5.66 hectares, which is like nine football fields! This area was officially recognized in 1998 as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This means it's a very important spot for nature.

This SSSI is actually made up of two separate locations. One is Buckshraft Mine, which is close to the village of Ruspidge. The other is Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel, found near the village of Soudley. Both places are super important for protecting amazing wildlife, especially bats!

What is a Special Scientific Site?

A Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI, is a protected area in the UK. These sites are chosen because they have rare wildlife, plants, or special geological features. Protecting them helps make sure these important parts of nature can survive and thrive for the future.

Home to Amazing Bats

The Buckshraft Mine and Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel are part of a group of SSSIs in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley. These areas are incredibly important for bats, especially two types: the Lesser horseshoe bat and the Greater horseshoe bat. These bats are so important that their protection here is recognized across Europe!

Lesser and Greater Horseshoe Bats

The Buckshraft Mine and Bradley Railway Tunnel are mostly used by Greater Horseshoe bats. However, a smaller number of Lesser Horseshoe bats also call these places home.

Greater Horseshoe bats from a breeding area called Woodchester Park travel a long way, at least 15 kilometers, to hibernate at Buckshraft Mine. This shows how connected these different bat habitats are.

The Lesser Horseshoe Bat is one of the smallest bats in Europe.

The Greater Horseshoe Bat is the largest bat in the UK.

Why Mines and Tunnels are Perfect Homes

The Forest of Dean and Wye Valley have lots of leafy woodlands and sheltered valleys. These areas are perfect for bats to find food, like insects. But bats also need safe places to rest, raise their young, and sleep through the winter (hibernate).

That's where the old mines and tunnels come in! The Forest of Dean has a special type of rock called Carboniferous Limestone, which contains iron ore. Over many years, people dug mines to get this ore. These old, underground tunnels and caves are now perfect, quiet, and stable places for bats to hibernate safely away from danger and bad weather.

Protecting Our Wildlife

Protecting places like Buckshraft Mine and Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel is vital. It helps ensure that special animals like the Lesser and Greater Horseshoe bats have safe homes. By keeping these SSSIs healthy, we help keep our natural world balanced and full of amazing creatures.