Situated centrally within North Somerset and forming part of the Forest of Avon, Goblin Combe and Cleeve Wood include a variety of limestone habitats. The site divides into two sections with very different characters.
Goblin Combe is a glacial outwash gorge containing several rare and interesting plant species, which have earned it a citation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Cleeve Wood is situated on a plateau above Goblin Combe. This area of the site is currently a plantation of mixed deciduous and coniferous trees. Planted in the 1950's the plantation was unsuccessful in producing commercial timber and very little timber has ever been extracted. This provides us with an ideal opportunity to work on what is essentially a blank canvas.
Goblin Combe comprises a steep-sided dry valley with extensive limestone scree. The Combe supports semi-natural ancient woodland and areas of unimproved calcareous grassland and limestone heath.
The Combe also supports several rare and endangered flora and fauna species including limestone fern, moonwort, stinking hellebore, the silver washed fritillary butterfly and purple hairstreak butterfly, dormice, and provides feeding habitat for the greater horseshoe bat.
Goblin Combe folk tale...
“There was a parcel of children and they was a-picking primroses, see, and one poor little dear her wandered away on her lone self right down into Goblin Combe. She were only a little trot, see, and didn't know no better. Well, when she do find she's a lost she cries, and the tears do run down her dear little face, and dap on her pinafore like summer rain, and she do throw her self against a rock. Then the rock opens and there's the fairies all come to comfort her tears. They do give her a gold ball and they lead the dear little soul safe home - on account she was carrying primroses, see. Well, twas the wonder of the village and the conjuror he gets the notion he'd aget his fists on more than one gold ball when next the fairies opened the hill. So he do pick a bunch of primroses and he go on up Goblin Combe, and he was glad enough to get in to the rock after all he see and hear on the way up. Well, twasn't the right day, nor the right number of primroses, and he wasn't no dear little soul - so they took him!
The Woods