Twigmore woods is an area of mixed woodland on the B1398. There is a small, signed parking area just south of the M180.
The woods belong to the Scawby estate and are on the 'Cover Sands'. At some stage sand was extracted leaving large pits which have filled with water and are referred to locally as the “Gull Ponds”. The story is that there was a colony of gulls here during the war and locals used to collect eggs to eat.However there doesn’t seem to be any written evidence for this.
Over the years these have become increasingly reclaimed by the vegetation and there are few areas of open water visible. There used to be a lovely boardwalk across the ponds. This is now muddy marshland and the boardwalk has seen better days. Give this a miss.
The area around the car park was planted with some exotic conifers and a lot of rhododendrons which are a mass of red, pinks, purples and white flowers in May and look beautiful.
There is a small map in the car park showing a way marked circular walk which takes you though the Rhododendrons and drops down past the ponds. It does a loop through planted coniferous plantations (some have been felled in 2011). Parts of this path do stay wet and muddy through the year although people trying to avoid this have made a new path through the trees to avoid these. The loop rejoins the main path back to the car park. The final climb to the car park can seem quite steep. This is about one and a half miles and takes about 45 minutes to walk.
There is another well used path which runs through mixed woodland along the top of the ridge beside of the road before dropping down. There are unmarked paths leading off – some take you back to the main path, others deeper into the woods. The walk can easily be extended to 2-3 hours if wanted. This is an area you need to explore. We have ‘got’ lost’ at times, but never for long as you eventually find a path you recognise.
The main path is suitable for a mobility scooter but other paths may be too rough or uneven. No-where is the walking difficult.
The bottom of the woodland is still private and ‘reserved for wildlife’. We have seen rabbits, hares and deer when we have been out. There is plenty of bird life too including birds of prey which you hear rather than see. There is little undergrowth, although in autumn there are plenty of fungi.
Being close to the motorway, there is a certain amount of traffic noise.
The area is popular with local dog walkers as well as people like us who don’t have a dog to walk but want to be in the fresh air in the countryside. The car park does get busy, however there is enough woodland for you to be able to walk for a couple of hours and hardly see a soul. The dog walkers are a friendly bunch and always stop for a chat.
We love the woodlands best in spring when the trees are just coming into leaf and the autumn with the colours. In summer they tend to be dark and a bit humid and there can be midges around.
There is little information on the web. This is the best I can find: http://www.drivingwithdogs.co.uk/walks/location/1026/twigmore_woods_lincolnshire/details.htm
