Gillots Wood is within easy reach of Durham, secluded and peaceful, Gillots Wood is a pine woodland with good access and great amenity value.

The woodland is set in open, rolling countryside near the attractive village of Brancepeth only a few miles from Durham. Quiet and secluded, Gillots Wood feels miles from anywhere. It is a fairly dense woodland, with some clearings ideal for occasional family camping expeditions. Species within the wood include larch, pine, birch, beech and, because of the wood's elevated position, you will find heather

and bilberry growing amongst the trees and in the clearings, together with some ferns.

There is a good track running around the perimeter of the wood as well as one which runs through the middle. The purchasers of the wood will be asked to enter into a covenant to ensure the quiet and peaceful enjoyment of all the woodlands. There are mauve markings around most of the boundary.

Access to Gillots Wood is directly from the public highway onto stone track running north-south. This links with unmade tracks which surround and bisect the wood. ‘Off trail’ access is also easy over level ground through the inter-connecting clearings.

Ensuring the correct permissions are in place, the wood could be used for forest school or bushcraft activities or would be equally well suited to ‘family forestry’, taking time for occasional camping and family conservation projects.

In times gone by the Roman legions marched a hairsbreadth away, as they headed north on Dere Street, to Hadrian's Wall and the Pictish lands beyond. Nearby Brancepeth Castle was subject to many changes of ownership as the monarchy changed and old allegiances went sour. More recently, wealth from Durham's coal enabled a more settled future for this fine building.

Click HERE to see free OS maps.