Brayton Barff Through the Seasons.
Set in the Vale of York, South West of the market town of Selby and between the villages of Thorpe Willoughby and Brayton, lies Brayton Barff, a sandstone Hill approximately one hundred and fifty feet in height which was formed by glacial movement during the last Ice Age. It is a significant landmark in an otherwise flat landscape.
Today the site is primarily owned by Yorkshire Water with Selby District Council owning a small patch of the land adjacent to the A63 Selby bypass. A large underground reservoir occupies the centre of the site which delivers water to around 4.7 million customers throughout Yorkshire.
Within the Barff woodland over 40% of the trees are Sessile Oak which are generally found in semi natural woodlands in the north of the country. These trees are so called because its acorns are not held on stalks, like those of the English Oak (Pedunculate), but attached directly to the outer twigs. There are also several English Oak trees as well as some cross-hybrid oaks. These trees are known to support many species of flora and fauna, invertebrates, mosses, lichen and fungi.
During the Victorian times it is thought that the shipbuilders on the east coast would come over to the Barff for selected cuts of timber to build their sea going vessels.
The Barff also has a variety of other trees including Silver Birch, Beech, Sycamore, Holly, Rowan, Scots Pine, Alder, Hawthorne and European Larch. There are also several Yew, Willow, Hazel, Horse Chestnut and Wych Elm. As with similar woodlands there are a variety of bushes, including Honeysuckle, Elderberry, Gorse, Broom and Buddleia.
The history of Brayton Barff is quite vague, apparently during 1803 a beacon was lit on the Barff when the country was threatened with an invasion by Napoleon. In May 1935, to celebrate King George V's Silver Jubilee, a Bonfire was lit on the Barff as part of the celebrations.
Early issues of Ordnance Survey Maps dated 1903 clearly show a rifle range on the Barff, extending out to Mill Lane. During the 
Second World War 1939-1945 a Prisoner of War Camp was built on the site. Today, nothing is left of these buildings less some areas to the South and West of the Barff where some of the brick foundations may be seen.
Between 2001 – 2004 the A63 Selby bypass, 10km twin lane single carriageway was constructed which severed the South West corner of the Barff, adjacent to Selby Golf Course and resulted in a slight redesign of several holes on the golf course. Wooden fencing was erected as a result of this new road running alongside of the Barff and a footbridge constructed over the ‘new road’ following the line of the Bridal way which extends from Mill Lane. Around 2005/2006 a definite 2metre wide limestone aggregate footpath was laid forming a circular path around the outer edges of the woodland. This footpath is approximately 1.2 miles in length and takes about 30 minutes to circumnavigate at a leisurely pace.
In 2012 the Barff was declared an Ancient Oak Woodland and as such throughout 2012 and 2013 significant work had been carried out by the relevant agencies to cut and remove large swathes of non-native trees, creating at that time huge scars on the landscape. Some three years later the planting of the native trees have become well established and are flourishing. Ongoing maintenance work on the footpath around the bottom of the Barff was completed during the Summer of 2016.
A second phase of woodland maintenance commenced during the Autumn of 2019 with the removal of many old and diseased trees and the cutting back of the Gorse and Broom bushes, especially adjacent to the ‘bypass trail’, this work continued through till March 2020 with re planting continuing into April 2020.
Brayton Barff is a popular site for walkers and bird watchers alike and a path circling the outer perimeter of the Barff makes a pleasant thirty minute walk, giving views looking over towards Selby and the village of Brayton as well as the power stations of Drax and Eggborough..jpg)
For the early risers it is a great place to see some stunning sunrises over the villages of Brayton looking towards Drax Power Station, the same with the Sunsets looking over towards Eggborough and Monk Fryston.
The Barff changes with the Seasons and every visit can reveal something new, the woodland is a haven for wildlife. Records show that since 1982 one hundred and twelve species of bird have been seen in the woodland and at least 40 of those have bred here, including Tawny Owl, Buzzard, Green Woodpecker, Spotted Flycatcher, Goldcrest and Nuthatch to name just a few. On average over 70 species of bird are recorded each year. Further details of the bird life on the Barff can be found on the Brayton Barff Group Facebook page, especially the posts from Derek Cooper. Today ‘The Friends of Brayton Barff group’ led by Derek and a small team of volunteers help keep and maintain the cleanliness of the site as well as recording the wildlife and bird sightings.
The Barff is also home to fifteen different species of mammals, including Muntjac Deer, Pipistrelle Bat, Fox, and Field Vole.
Over eighty species of plant and wildflowers have been recorded, included Bee Orchid, Northern Marsh Orchid, Wood Anemone, Marsh Ragwort, Bluebell, White Bluebell, Bittersweet and Purple and White Foxgloves. Over twenty species of Butterfly have been recorded, including Marbled White, Brown Angus, Speckled Wood, Comma and Brimstone.
During the Autumnal months fungi thrives in this woodland environment, species including Fly Agaric, Beefsteak Tree Fungi, Chicken of the Wood, Sulphur Tufts, Stinkhorn, Ink cap, Puffballs and Hoof Bracket are just some of the many varieties that can be found here.
Click on the galleries shown below to expand the albums.
December 2024
A bit of a messy month for me due to one of my dogs being quite poorly, so my walks on the Barff have had to be cut short and quite intermittent at times until she regains her full strength and stamina again, hopefully by the start of the New Year. The first week of December weatherwise has been dull and miserable with very little sunshine. Most of the trees have now shed their leaves and the woodland is preparing itself for the colder days ahead, there is only a handful of younger Oak trees which seem reluctant to shed their leaves though a few hard frosts should soon see them fall over the coming few weeks
The second week of December was very similar to the first. The Robins and Wrens don’t seem to have been affected by the dull, damp and miserable weather of late. Storm Darragh arrived on Saturday 7th causing some disruption to the area with trees and branches being blown down in the strong winds and rain, but it finally blew out over the North sea on Monday 9th.
It is interesting to note these past few weeks whilst nursing one of the dogs back to full health, has involved getting up in the early hours and walking around the garden with the dogs, I hear birdsong, several Robins singing their heads off in the trees at the bottom of the garden, be it 1.00am or 3.00am, the Robins are still singing away to themselves as though it is daylight. Back on the Barff though It has been good to hear Nuthatches on the Barff this week and watch the Bullfinches gorging themselves at the winter-feeding station.
The third week has been very similar to the previous two, dull cloudy and overcast, sunshine has certainly been at a premium. It has been a mild week with temperatures averaging between 10c – 12c every morning. Fortunately, it has been generally dry, though wet during the evenings and very windy, the westerly winds reaching speeds of up to 25mph at times, making it quite unpleasant if you are out and about in it. There has been plenty of activity amongst the woodland, the farmer has cut back and tided up the hawthorn edge which runs around the perimeter of the Barff, Blackbirds and Grey Squirrels have been busy foraging amongst the freshly fallen leaf litter. Greater Spotted Woodpeckers have been drumming on several of the rotten trees close to the car park area and various forms of fungi keeps popping up on the moss-covered rotten branches laying on the woodland floor. The Winter Solstice on Saturday 21st came and went in a flash, at least from now on it will start to get a little lighter in the morning
Christmas week has been much the same weather as earlier in the month, quite mild, dull, misty, foggy mornings with a distinctive lack of sunshine, making it feel quite depressing at times.
It has been good to see the first signs of Spring breaking through on the woodland. Bluebell shoots are just beginning to poke through the soil although still covered by a dense layer of leaf litter, just as well as we await the arrival of the colder wintery weather in the New Year. I have seen and heard Greater Spotted Woodpeckers drumming close to the main car park as I am certain other visitors to the woodland will have heard too, which is quite early for them, as we don’t usually hear them till late winter, early springtime, and finally, the Gorse bushes are bursting into flower along the Bypass trail, these evergreen shrubs usually start to flower between January to April.
The last few days of the month have seen some lovely early morning sunshine with colourful sunrises, but the sun soon disappearing behind low cloud and strengthening westerly winds which kept the temperature down in single figures. The Meteorological office had issued a Yellow weather wind warning for our part of North Yorkshire for Monday 30th which didn’t materialise. Our woodland birds are keeping quite active, Robin and Wren accompanied by Blue and Great Tits are still chattering away as I make my way around the woodland, Blackbirds are busily scratting through the leaf litter often accompanied by the Grey Squirrels. The last day of the year (Tuesday) turned out to be a dull, drab and dreary one. Another Yellow Weather Warning for strong winds had been issued from the Met office for New Years Eve. There was no colourful sunrise on the last day of the month, and the strengthening North Easterly wind gusting at times to around 25mph, with rain later in the day made it quite unpleasant to be out and about. Snow has been forecast for later in the week, so let’s see what 2025 brings.
I will take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy and peaceful New Year from myself, and my two four-legged companions Meg & Gracie.
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