The main access for The Park is by Tidenham Chase car park. A wide track will take you west through the middle of the nature reserve, eventually leading to Miss Grace's Lane where there is another access point. Various trails link onto other routes and around the perimeter, taking you past small ponds, stands of trees, and heathland and scrubs. Some shallow excavations hint towards the reserves ancient past as a quarry.

Poor's Allotment can be found on the opposite side of the road from the Tidenham Chase car park. The path leads you through a wooded area and to the start of a walking loops that is just under a mile in length. Other paths cross through and around the reserve so you can explore heathlands, thicket, and the small streams. To the south of the reserve you'll find the best views, across the Severn estuary to the east, though the plant life is the star of the show with the range of plants and contrasting habitats leading to it being recognised as a SSSI.

Lesser butterfly orchid, Jack snipe, green hairstreak, tiger beetle and nightjar – these are just some of the amazing wildlife that have been found at The Park and Poor’s Allotment.

Both sites are fantastic examples of acid grassland and heathland, which, over the years, have allowed a wide range of fascinating wildlife to flourish. Twenty-five years ago or more, you may have been fortunate enough to spot the delicate spike of a lesser butterfly orchid or the distinctive flash of Britain’s only green butterfly, the green hairstreak, both of which thrive on acidic bog and heathland; today, however, such species need more than a helping hand to survive in the area.

One of the immediate priorities upon acquiring/managing these wild places was the need to manage the bracken which had dominated the area for so long, leading to the loss of species such as the lesser butterfly orchid and the bog asphodel. Tackling bracken is no quick fix but there are many methods at GWT’s disposal. “To deliver on anything, there is not just one tool,” says Land Manager Kevin Caster, who is responsible for these reserves. “Whatever we start, we must be able to continue and for bracken to become less dominant we need to deplete its energy for five continuous years.”

Poor’s Allotment has the help of local farmer, John Voyce, whose rare breed cattle do the perfect job in trampling the plant’s rootstock (rhizomes). Hardy breeds such as Highland, longhorn and Dexter cattle are ideal grazers for this type of terrain as they can survive on rough fodder, nipping off bramble tips while trampling breaks through gorse at the same time. Exmoor ponies lend a hoof in Poor’s Allotment, while Kevin has the benefit of an Alpine tractor that takes the tops off the bracken on difficult terrain, revealing the heather underneath.

Another on the to-do list is tackling the natural succession of birch trees. “There’s an overwhelming amount of birch trees that we have to cut,” says Kevin. “Birch clearance is difficult because a single stem can turn into 10 stems if not dealt with properly.” This means using professional herbicides to treat tree stumps and burning waste material. Thankfully, Kevin has a willing team of volunteers in the Dean Green Team, who each year dedicate themselves to restoration work in the reserve.

After the first winter, Kevin remarked that it “was great to see the progress made in one winter and I can now estimate how many more winters it will take to achieve our goal. I am hoping that we will have the bulk of the birch clearance done over the next five years.” A daunting task to some, but Kevin is undeterred: “The strategy is to find attractive and diverse patches within the heathland – a feature tree or a pond – and clear that area as a glade. We’re effectively cherry-picking the nice areas which we will then maintain and allow to blend organically. It’s about finding a balance which is sustainable.”

“The reserve offers nooks and crannies to explore, the best views over the River Severn and a fantastic array of wildlife in fantastic habitats,” enthuses Kevin.

A lot has been achieved in a short space of time – who knows what wonders we might once again see over the next 25 years?