Our verdict
A national-grade wood hiding behind a modest village. Ash dieback is rewriting it year by year, which is all the more reason to walk the scarp path now — in late April, with the blossom out and the Levels below, it's quietly magnificent.
One of the finest ash woods in Britain, hanging on the steep southern scarp of Mendip above Rodney Stoke village — ancient trees, spring cowslips and orchids on the open slopes, and long views over the Axe valley to Glastonbury Tor.
National nature reserve of ancient ash woodland on the Mendip scarp. Access on the public footpaths through the reserve; dogs on leads.