For Langford residents not yet familiar with Stoke Wood, late April to mid May is the best time to visit this ancient woodland to view the abundant bluebells in flower. The early purple orchid is also widely seen during this time.
Stoke wood is less than 6 miles from Langford, just off the B4100, near to M40 Junction 10 (see map for location). The property has a car park and over 2 miles of easily accessible footpaths (see details & map), though some of these can become muddy after wet weather. A medieval boundary bank runs for 3000 yards around the 90 acre wood.
In 1954, an American bomber based at Upper Heyford crashed into the wood killing the crew and causing extensive damage to the woodland.
This ancient woodland was originally managed by coppicing but this stopped over 50 years ago, and during the 1950’s a large area was planted with conifer. The Woodland Trust purchased the wood in 1993 and aims to gradually restore the whole woodland back to its ancient broad-leaved character by progressive thinning of remaining conifers.