Allerthorpe Common

Bees buzzing around sweet smelling purple spikes of heather, a green woodpecker 'yaffling' from the woodland edge, an adder shyly slithering into the undergrowth below prickly coconut-scented gorse bushes - all make up the sights, sounds and smells of Allerthorpe Common. The reserve is visited by roe deer, badgers and foxes. It is particularly rich in reptile, amphibian and invertebrate species.

Location

Off Common Lane

Allerthorpe

East Riding of Yorkshire

YO42 4RU

OS Map Reference

Car park - SE752473
Reserve - SE761476

Know before you go

Size

6 hectares

Entry fee

Free

Parking information

Free parking in FC car park of Common Lane

Grazing animals

Cattle

Walking trails

There are no formal paths on the reserve.

Access

Reserve is accessed via a 1km walk along forest track. More accessibility information below.

Dogs

No dogs permitted

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

March to September

Habitat

About

Allerthorpe Common is alive with wildlife throughout the year and supports a surprising range of habitats for such a small pocket of lowland heath - wet heath, dry heath, acid grassland, woodland, scrub and open water are all waiting to be discovered.

Ling heather, tormentil, sheep's fescue and wavy hair-grass grow on the drier areas of the site. Cross-leaved heath and purple moor grass grow in the damper areas as well as nationally rare May lily. Patches of gorse scrub provide shelter for birds and their network of roots support a healthy population of adders.

Areas of mature birch and willow woodland add another dimension to the site - great spotted woodpecker may sometimes be seen.

One large pool and several smaller ponds support numerous damselfly and dragonfly species including broad-bodied chaser and blue-tailed damselfly.

On-site grazing using rare breed cattle helps keep tree saplings and some of the coarse competitive grasses that can take over the heath in check. Volunteers also work regularly to control bramble and bracken that can become a problem and remove any birch saplings that the cattle have missed.

Read more about the origins of Allerthorpe Common below under 'history'.

Seasonal highlights

Spring: Plants - May lily; Reptiles - Adder; Birds - Green woodpecker; Woodlark; Willow warbler
Summer: Plants - Tormentil; Ling heather; Marsh cinquefoil; Invertebrates - Broad-bodied chaser
Autumn: Birds - Woodcock; Siskin; Lesser redpoll
Winter: Birds - Jay; Coal tit; Treecreeper

History

The history of Allerthorpe Common can be traced back to AD 1086 when it was recorded in the Doomsday book as Aluuarstorp. Discover more about its past from the download below.

Allerthorpe Common - History

Directions

Public transport
York - Hull buses stop at Barmby Moor village, 2.3 miles away.

By car
Turn south off the A1079 near Barmby Moor signed Sutton-on-Derwent and Thornton. Take the next left signposted Thornton, and parking is in a Forestry Commission car park 0.5 miles along this road on the right. From here cross the road and follow the forest track until you come to a line of pylons. Turn right and the nature reserve is a short distance along on your right.

Accessibility

Many of our reserves are small and beautiful but remote. Visitors will have different access needs and abilities and we want to provide some basic information about the reserve to help you decide whether this is a place you would like to visit and to help you plan.

Walking around Allerthorpe Common

The reserve is reached via a gravel track about 1km from the Forestry Commission car park. There are two stiles into the reserve

The ground on the reserve is uneven with many tussocks, hollows and ditches hidden by long vegetation and there are no formal footpaths or tracks. The reserve is designated open access land.