Visitors should use the access shown, which is our right of way, and not attempt to reach the reserve from the south at Forge Crossing. The reserve is remote and little visited; the reserves team would be most grateful to receive any biological records from anyone who pays a visit.

Mowley Wood itself is an ancient semi-natural woodland site underlain by Old Red Sandstone rocks. It lies on the north side of the valley of the River Arrow. In 1876 the Kington-Presteigne branch railway line was driven through the western part of Mowley Wood, during which a deep cutting was made and a small embankment constructed over a stream at the northern end of what is now the reserve. The line was shut down in 1964, the trackway was cleared and then fell into disuse. Ten years later the Trust acquired the site in order to create a wildlife haven, and also follow the pattern of succession, as trees and shrubs gradually took over the site.

More than 20 tree species have now been recorded, Ash being dominant, with a mixture of Oak, Beech, Goat Willow and Sweet Chestnut. There is a sparse understorey, containing Bramble, Holly, Hazel, Elder, Honeysuckle and a few Rhododendron bushes. Today, the cutting is flanked on the western side by a semi-mature conifer plantation, and on the east by the original Oak woodland. Many fallen trees litter the cutting, their root-plates unable to find adequate anchorage in the thin soils covering the embankments.

The ground flora is an interesting mix, reflecting the site's past history, with ancient woodland plants like Bluebell, Dog's Mercury and Wood Anemone found alongside plants typical of disturbed ground like Stinging Nettle and Enchanter's Nightshade. Parts of the cutting are damp and shady, providing suitable conditions for a variety of mosses, while Hart's Tongue Fern and Hard Fern are both well represented. The developing woodland is attractive to birds like Bullfinch and Chiffchaff, and in summer, the more open sheltered areas along the main track hold butterflies like Green-veined White, Gatekeeper and Speckled Wood.

This is essentially a non-intervention site where the stages of natural succession are being followed. Management is therefore limited to maintaining an open path through the cutting by periodic clearance of fallen trees.

Freehold purchased by the Trust in the autumn of 1974 with grant aid from World Wildlife Fund.

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