Denge Wood is a wood located 8 miles southwest of Canterbury

Canterbury

Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....

 in Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The wood is owned by the Forestry Commission

Forestry Commission

The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....

 and the Woodland Trust

Woodland Trust

The Woodland Trust is a conservation charity in the United Kingdom concerned with the protection and sympathetic management of native woodland heritage.-History:...

. Part of the wood is also privately owned. Much of Denge Wood is classified as ancient

Ancient woodland

Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...

 semi-natural woodland suggesting it has been in existence since at least 1600AD and probably longer.

Location and geology

Denge Wood is situated on the dip slope of the North Downs

North Downs

The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...

 and within the Kent Downs AONB

Kent Downs AONB

Kent Downs is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Kent, England . They are the eastern half of the North Downs and stretch from the London/Surrey borders to the White Cliffs of Dover...

. The wood is located on clay with flints over chalk

Chalk

Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....

 bedrock at a maximum altitude of 140 metres. Two dry valleys run northward on the eastern side of the wood whilst the western side is located on a plateau. The western most fringes of Eggringe Wood and Down Wood form part of the eastern Stour Valley

River Stour, Kent

The River Stour is the river in Kent, England that flows into the English Channel at Pegwell Bay. Above Plucks Gutter, where the Little Stour joins it, the river is normally known as the Great Stour. The upper section of the river, above its confluence with the East Stour at Ashford is sometimes...

 escarpment.

Flora

The wood consists largely of chestnut

Sweet Chestnut

Castanea sativa is a species of the flowering plant family Fagaceae, the tree and its edible seeds are referred to by several common names such Sweet Chestnut or Marron. Originally native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, it is now widely dispersed throughout Europe and parts of Asia, such as...

 coppice and conifer plantations. There are also areas of beech

European Beech

Fagus sylvatica, the European Beech or Common Beech, is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae.-Natural range:...

 (Fagus sylvatica), hazel

Common Hazel

Corylus avellana, the Common Hazel, is a species of hazel native to Europe and western Asia, from the British Isles south to Iberia, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, north to central Scandinavia, and east to the central Ural Mountains, the Caucasus, and northwestern Iran. It is an important component of...

 (Corylus avellana), ash

European Ash

Fraxinus excelsior , is a species of Fraxinus native to most of Europe with the exception of northern Scandinavia and southern Iberia, and also southwestern Asia from northern Turkey east to the Caucasus and Alborz mountains...

 (Fraxinus excelsior) and oak

Pedunculate Oak

Quercus robur is commonly known as the Pedunculate Oak or English oak. It is native to most of Europe, and to Anatolia to the Caucasus, and also to parts of North Africa.-Taxonomy:Q...

 (Quercus robur) woodland. There are several clearings in the wood where there is a mixture of scrubland and chalk grassland such as at Bonsai Bank. Bluebell

Common Bluebell

Hyacinthoides non-scripta, commonly known as the common bluebell, is a spring-flowering bulbous perennial plant. -Taxonomy:...

 (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)and Wood Anemone

Anemone nemorosa

Anemone nemorosa is an early-spring flowering plant in the genus Anemone in the family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe. Common names include wood anemone, windflower, thimbleweed and smell fox, an allusion to the musky smell of the leaves...

 (Anemone nemorosa) grow on neutral soils whilst on the akaline, lime rich soils plants such as Dog's Mercury

Dog's Mercury

Mercurialis perennis, commonly known as dog's mercury, is a woodland plant found in much of Europe, but almost absent from Ireland, Orkney and Shetland. A member of the spurge family , it is a herbaceous, downy perennial with erect stems bearing simple, serrate leaves. The dioecious inflorescences...

 (Mercurialis perennis), Herb Paris (Paris quadrifolia) and Columbine

Aquilegia

Aquilegia is a genus of about 60-70 species of perennial plants that are found in meadows, woodlands, and at higher altitudes throughout the Northern Hemisphere, known for the spurred petals of their flowers.-Etymology:The genus name Aquilegia is derived from the Latin word for eagle , because...

 (Aquilegia vulgaris) can be found.

Denge Wood is particularly notable for the range of orchids that it supports. Twayblade (Listera ovata), Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), Greater Butterfly Orchid

Platanthera

The genus Platanthera belongs to the subfamily Orchidoideae of the family Orchidaceae, and comprises about 100 species of orchids. The members of this genus were previously included in the genus Orchis, which is a close relative . They are distributed throughout the temperate regions of the...

 (Platanthera chlorantha), Man Orchid

Man orchid

Orchis anthropophora, the Man Orchid , is a European species of orchid whose flowers resemble a human figure. The head is formed by the petals and sepals, and the suspended torso and limbs by the lobes of the labellum...

 (Aceras anthropophorum) and Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea) occur in the scrubland and chalk grassland. The Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula), Fly Orchid

Ophrys

The genus Ophrys is a large group of orchids from the alliance Orchis in the subtribe Orchidinae. There are many natural hybrids. The type species is Ophrys insectifera L.1753...

 (Ophrys insectifera), Lesser Butterfly Orchid

Platanthera

The genus Platanthera belongs to the subfamily Orchidoideae of the family Orchidaceae, and comprises about 100 species of orchids. The members of this genus were previously included in the genus Orchis, which is a close relative . They are distributed throughout the temperate regions of the...

 (Platanthera bifolia) and Bird's Nest Orchid (Neottia nidus-avis) can be found in woodland areas whilst there is also a large population of the rare Lady Orchid (Orchis purpurea).

Fauna

The wood provides an important habitat for nesting and migratory birds including the Nightingale

Nightingale

The Nightingale , also known as Rufous and Common Nightingale, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...

 (Luscinia megarhynchos), Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

The Common Chiffchaff, or simply the Chiffchaff, is a common and widespread leaf-warbler which breeds in open woodlands throughout northern and temperate Europe and Asia....

 (Phylloscopus collybita) and Spotted Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher

The Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata, is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in most of Europe and western Asia, and is migratory, wintering in Africa and south western Asia. It is declining in parts of its range....

 (Muscicapa striata). Up to 27 species of butterfly have been recorded in the area managed by the Woodland Trust and there are populations of Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

The Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.Callophrys rubi is found in Europe, North Africa, Russia, Asia Minor, Siberia, Amurland , Baluchistan and Chitral....

 (Callophrys rubi), Grizzled Skipper

Grizzled Skipper

The Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus malvae is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family.-Appearance, behaviour and distribution:With its characteristic chequered black and white pattern this butterfly is quite distinctive although old, faded individuals can be mistaken for the Dingy Skipper or the Sideridis...

 (Pyrgus malvae) and the scarce Duke of Burgundy

Hamearis lucina

Hamearis lucina, known as the Duke of Burgundy, is a European butterfly in the family Riodinidae. For many years, it was known as the "Duke of Burgundy Fritillary", because of the adult's similar markings to "true" fritillaries of the family Nymphalidae.-Description:The male has a wingspan of , and...

 (Hamearis lucina). The woodland provides a habitat for mammals including the Dormouse

Hazel Dormouse

The Hazel Dormouse or Common Dormouse is a small mammal and the only living species in the genus Muscardinus....

 (Muscardinus avellanarius)and reptiles such as Common Lizard

Viviparous lizard

The viviparous lizard or common lizard is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other reptile species, and most populations are viviparous , rather than laying eggs as most other lizards do.-Identification:The length of the body is less than...

 (Zootoca vivipara) and Adder

Vipera berus

Vipera berus, the common European adder or common European viper, is a venomous viper species that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of Western Europe and all the way to Far East Asia. Known by a host of common names including Common adder and Common viper, adders have been...

 (Vipera berus). There are also populations of Fallow Deer

Fallow Deer

The Fallow Deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. This common species is native to western Eurasia, but has been introduced widely elsewhere. It often includes the rarer Persian Fallow Deer as a subspecies , while others treat it as an entirely different species The Fallow...

 (Dama dama) and Roe Deer

Roe Deer

The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...

(Capreolus capreolus).

Human use

Denge Wood is a popular site for walking and horse-riding due to its scenic beauty and ecological interest. The land that is owned by the Woodland Trust and Forestry Commission is open access and there a network of footpaths, bridleways and byways that cross the wood. Parts of Denge Wood are also used for economic activity such as forestry.

In May 2005 Denge Wood was the site of a rave that attracted up to 2000 people to the site. The rave resulted in substantial damage to wildlife and the rubbish left behind including human excrement, methadone bottles and needles took a whole day to clear up. The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act prevents raves although the police stated that they did not have the resources available at the time to act against the event.