About the reserve

Edmondsley Wood is part of what was formerly a large area of deciduous woodland in the valley of the Cong Burn and forms part of a mosaic of habitats that links the Wear valley to the mid-altitudes of Stanley and Consett

On the northern boundary of the nature reserve, the shallow Cong Burn provides wet woodland rich in alder trees.

There is a wide range of flora across the site, from bluebells to broad leaved helleborine and marshy areas where meadowsweet is abundant.

Mosses and ferns grow in wet gullies and the large adjacent large reed bed (created in 1999 by the Coal Authority and Durham Wildlife Trust) purifies mine water from the workings of the former Edmondsley Colliery before it flows into the burn.

Edmondsley Wood is the ideal starting point for a spring or summer woodland walk, when the abundant bird life and wild flowers can be seen together.