Cobthorn Reserve in Congresbury was launched at an open day in May 2022 with almost 200 local residents turning up to see what YACWAG was doing with the reserve.
How & Why Cobthorn Reserve Was Acquired
Furnace Way (which adjoins Cobthorn Way leading to Wrington Lane) and its amenity areas have been built over what used to be farmland where Greater horseshoe bats hunted for their food. The fields were especially important in the summer when young bats need to learn to hunt insects because they were near their roost. Because the Greater horseshoe bat is very rare and has international protection, North Somerset Council ensured the developer would give the land to YACWAG through the planning process so it would be a safe space for bats in perpetuity. The nature reserve is being created to compensate for the land lost to development and will be managed in the best possible way for bats forever.
The Greater Horseshoe bats preferred landscape is one with grazing animals, tall, wide hedges and scattered flowering trees. This kind of habitat is good for many species and we know that many types of bat, bird and mammal already use the field. YACWAG volunteers closely monitor the way the fields are being managed to make sure we maintain the right conditions to support Greater horseshoe bats.
Community Involvement
YACWAG is also carrying out regular surveys for dormice, birds, bats and flora. This involves several volunteers. Another dozen local residents have looked after the trees planted by National Grid in 2022. These trees formed part of the mitigation measures for the building of the new Hinkley Point nuclear power station. They include oak, disease-resistant elm, alder, black poplar and six apple trees to form a small orchard. In 2024 and 2025, a further 60 trees were planted at Cobthorn Reserve thanks to two Trees for Climate grants from the Forest of Avon. These trees have been helped to a good start by regular watering by local YACWAG members. They include an extension to the small orchard.
YACWAG is grateful for the help of Jo and Andy Millward who provide the grazing animals for Cobthorn Reserve. A mixture of sheep and Dexter cattle produce the dung which is vital for different species of dung beetles on which the Greater Horseshoe bats feed.
Local walkers can see the views to the south and look into the nature reserve itself from the public footpath accessed from Cobthorn Way which runs along the northern edge of the reserve, and also, outside the western boundary, the surfaced footpath which leads to the river.
In Spring 2023, YACWAG was able to purchase a partly adjacent field thanks to a bequest from Irmgaard Owen of Yatton and the willingness of a local landowner to sell to the charity. On the deeds, the hammer-shaped field is referred to as Cobthorn Paddocks, so with the intention of reinstating the old boundaries, YACWAG decided to keep the historic name.
Paddocks is bounded on all sides by ancient hedges which include diverse species such as spindle, wych elm, small-leaved lime, field maple, dogwood and hazel. Under the hedges grow a variety of wild flowers, including woodland indicator species like Dogs’ mercury and Bluebells. The field has also been planted with a scatter of tall native trees including Alder, Oak, Hornbeam and Small-leaved lime which will one day form ‘wood pasture’. The old boundary dividing the two former paddocks has been reinstated thanks to free hedging plants from the Woodland Trust. A programme of gradually laying and restoring the ancient boundary hedges was begun in 2025 thanks to tuition grant-aided by CPRE and a trained team led by Richard Croucher.
In 2025, a small compound that had been excluded from the original agreement on Cobthorn Reserve became available to purchase from Strongvox, the Furnace Way developer, when the electricity pylons on it were taken down and the cables placed underground. Thanks to funding from the Environment Agency and North Somerset Council, YACWAG has been able to add this small parcel of land to Cobthorn Reserve, increasing the amount of grassland available for grazing and strengthening the bats’ navigation corridor to the river.
