Exploring Mortimer Forest in Herefordshire


Julia Hartley and I are up on Mortimer Forest on the Shropshire/Herefordshire border in England, near the town of Ludlow. The forest covers a hilly terrain, including the marilyn of High Vinnalls which rises to 1,230 ft.

Mortimer Forest was an ancient hunting forest. It is a remnant of the ancient Saxon hunting forests of Mocktree, Deerfold and Bringewood, and later owned by powerful Marcher lords, who had considerable fortified bases at Wigmore and Ludlow. The name of the forest derives from the Mortimers, who were Marcher lords.

The mainly conifer covered forest, with some Douglas Furs and deciduous broad leaf trees on the outskirts, sits on very old limestones and shales laid down by the sea some 400 million years ago.

The forest is under threat from development from luxury holiday homes and hot tubs. Find out more here:
https://www.save-mortimer-forest.co.uk/

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.