The poet Thomas Gray (1716 - 1771) was a friend of the Fortescue family and on visits to their home, Buckland House in nearby Buckland Filleigh, he is said to have enjoyed exploring the surrounding woodland - at that time all part of the family's estate. Benches were placed at favourite spots throughout the grounds so that he could sit and think his poetic thoughts and one of these benches was sited near the small bridge over the Musselbrook; now known as Grays Seat bridge. The bridge, located at the north-eastern corner of Grays Seat Wood, is also known locally as 'black bridge' so called because the lovelorn son of a local landowner is reputed to have drowned himself below the bridge.
No trace remains of the original seat, but a much more recent bench can be found near the river's edge and whilst it may not be anywhere near as grand as its predecessor, it is a great place to sit and take in the surroundings. Looking across the water and a little way downstream, there is a clearing which is much favoured by the local deer population. Patience - and silence may be rewarded by glimpses of roe and red deer browsing and drinking just a short way from where you are seated.
Entering the woodland immediately after crossing the bridge, a track along the riverside leads all the way to the southern-most part of the woodland. A small 'footbridge' and a short boardwalk - constructed from poles from within the wood - take you over areas of softer ground. Around the woodland's edge there is a mix of deciduous species including ash, birch and hazel whilst elsewhere the bulk of the trees are coniferous (spruce and fir), until you reach the north-western part where
beech predominate.

Just beyond the bridge, by the side of the track which runs along the wood's edge, there is space to pull over and park and from here another track leads into the woodland, more or less following the course of the northern boundary. At the north-western tip of the woodland is another spot where there is room to park - useful if you are collecting firewood from this section of the woodland.
Near the middle of the woodland there is a depression in the ground where water collects. At present a channel drains the water away into the river, but it would be an easy task to block this channel off (or raise the level) thus forming a small pond. Standing deadwood attracts many birds, on the lookout for a meal or for potential nest sites, whilst along the river wagtails seek their food in the banks and kingfishers skim the surface, putting the small brown trout which inhabit the Grays Seat Wood river on their guard.

This is in the North Devon Biosphere Reserve, click here for details

Parish is Buckland Filleigh, District is Torridge, in Devon.

Access  Is off a small country lane and then along a forest track where there is a full right of way.

Boundaries  Are the the centre of the river, the track edge and to the southwest, it's the field edge.

Coventant  There is a covenant on the wood designed to ensure the quiet and peaceful enjoyment of this and adjoining woodlands, click HERE to read and download.

Full-scale  Click here to download and print a map showing the location of the woodland.

Click HERE to see free OS maps and scroll out for a wider view.

Viewing:  You are welcome to visit this wood by yourself, but please ensure that you have a copy of these sales details with you - many of our woodlands do not have mobile phone reception or internet access so we recommend either printing the details or downloading them to your phone or tablet. Please take care when viewing as the great outdoors can contain unexpected hazards and woodlands are no exception.

Maps are : © Crown copyright and database rights 2021 OS Licence no.100057987