Oaks Wood

Only a few metres from the incessant traffic along the A6 between Claudy and Drumahoe in County Londonderry are young trees, scores of wild flowers, buzzards and blackbirds, dragonflies and butterflies. They live within Oaks Wood, a Local Nature Reserve. It is one of fifty woods created throughout Northern Ireland as part of the ‘Woods on your Doorstep’ campaign. The planting was carried out by the Woodland Trust and partly sponsored by the DIY firm Homebase. The site is on the beautiful slopes of the Faughan Valley, and the lower paths through the wood come alongside the River Faughan itself.

Oaks Wood is named after an eighteenth century estate. Oak is common in this part of Northern Ireland as a name, or part of a name: Derry itself is derived from the Irish word for oak. Like other new woods in the area, Oaks Wood contains many oak trees, but with a mix of other species including ash, rowan, birch and hazel. The new planting on this reserve is sheltered from the main road by a boundary of mature trees that help to reduce the traffic noise, although the thick foliage of oak and beech is not able to absorb it all. The sounds of vehicles in a hurry accompanied me into the wood, but did not spoil the enjoyment of seeing plants such as enchanter’s nightshade, greater bird’s foot trefoil and herb Robert among the grasses and sedges. I paused at what is labelled on the map as a viewpoint, and indeed I was able to see across the valley, but the trees are growing fast and may in a few years obliterate the distant horizon.

I tried out one of two wooden seats provided, appropriately carved in the shape of oak leaves and acorns, before resuming my walk. The path descended past bramble cascades where green-veined whites were trying to drain the last of the nectar from the remaining pinkish flowers. I passed a low-lying wet area characterised by reedmace, water forget-me-not and brooklime. I heard the sharp cry of a buzzard - then I saw it circling lazily high above me, against what for that day was a rare patch of blue sky. The sun continued to play hide and seek with the clouds, illuminating the woodland intermittently. The shafts of bright light streaming in through the army of alder trunks was inspiring, but as I arrived at the River Faughan the sun again vanished and I had to wait for a few minutes before the peaty water began to sparkle in the light. Several lads were fishing upstream and I watched them for a while as I waited in the unlikely hope of seeing an otter or a kingfisher. Even a grey wagtail would have done but that day my luck was out. I did however come across a common darter dragonfly, ‘darting’ about and living up to its name. This red-bodied dragonfly is quite common in Northern Ireland, and flies late into the autumn, making it one of the last to be seen in any one season.

I noticed an abundance of greater and ribwort plantains, the leaves of the latter almost reaching 20cms tall. Often overlooked as a group and mainly considered unwanted ‘weeds’, they can in their own way be quite attractive. I remember as a child playing a game with ribwort stems. My friends and I would take it in turns to hit each other’s stem, trying to knock off the flower head. We didn’t, as I recall, have a name for this game, but it ensured that we could identify a ribwort plantain from an early age.

The Burntollet River trickles into the Faughan beside the south-west corner of the reserve: a minor ‘meeting of the waters’, and I stood for a while relishing the sounds of flowing water before heading back up the hill to the entrance. Just as I reached the gate a coal tit appeared on a branch, calling repeatedly. I imagined it was bidding me farewell and telling me to return soon. And I will: Oaks Wood may not be not large, but is does contain a fascinating mix of species, and the added attraction of the River Faughan makes stopping at this Local Nature Reserve well worthwhile.