Stara Woods facts for kids

Stara Woods is a special forest in east Cornwall, England. It's privately owned, but a local person bought it in 2004 to turn it into a community woodland. This means it's a place for everyone to enjoy nature, learn, and have fun. The woods are located in the beautiful Lynher valley, south-southeast of a village called North Hill.

Exploring Stara Woods: Location and Nature

Stara Woods covers about 19 hectares (that's like 47 football fields!). It's located about 0.45 miles west of Rillaton and south of Bathpool in eastern Cornwall. The name "Stara" comes from Stara Bridge, an old bridge made of stone slabs, found at the southern edge of the woods.

Different Types of Trees in the Woods

Stara Woods is actually made up of three different parts:

• Colquite Wood and Treovis Wood: These are deciduous woodlands. Deciduous trees are those that lose their leaves in autumn, like oak trees. These parts of the woods have been around since at least the 1600s!
• Broad Wood: This part was a conifer plantation, meaning it was mostly planted with cone-bearing trees like pines, in the 1980s. However, it's now being replanted with native trees like oak, beech, and hazel.

Rivers, Streams, and Bridges

Treovis and Broad Woods are located in a bend of the River Lynher, facing north and east. Colquite Wood is on the other side of the river, facing west and south. The woods are on hills, ranging from about 82 meters (269 feet) to 130 meters (426 feet) above sea level.

A small stream called Shales Brook forms the northern border of Treovis Wood. There's also an old leat (a channel that carried water) that used to supply water to mills in Rilla Mill. This leat runs through all three parts of the woods. In 2013, a cool suspension bridge was built across the River Lynher, connecting Colquite and Broad Woods.

Animals Living in Stara Woods

Stara Woods is home to many different animals. Some of the special creatures you might find here include:

• Otters: Playful mammals that live near water.
• Brown long-eared bats: Bats known for their very long ears.
• Dormice: Small, shy rodents that are often active at night.

The Story of Stara Woods: Its History

The history of Stara Woods goes back a long way! People who care for Stara Woods say that these woodlands were once part of a large estate called the Manor of Carneddon. This estate was even owned by Edward, the Black Prince in the 1300s!

A New Beginning for the Woods

More recently, the woods were part of the Duchy of Cornwall estate (a special estate that belongs to the British royal family). But in 2004, a local resident named Anne Hughes bought the woods. She even remortgaged her house (meaning she used her house as collateral for a loan) to pay for it!

Anne Hughes had a wonderful idea: she wanted to open up the woods for everyone to enjoy. She created permissive footpaths, which are paths that people are allowed to use. She also works with volunteers to manage Stara Woods in a way that is good for nature and can be sustained for a long time. The goal is to make Stara Woods a place for art, learning about the environment, education, and fun activities, while still keeping its natural beauty and peaceful feeling.