Short birdwatching visit · Woodland Trust
Plora Wood
- Tier
- Good stop nearby
- Best season
- Resident woodland birds; spring and summer Redstart
- Headline birds
- Redstart
- Parking
- The main eastern entrance has a small layby for around three or four cars.
- Hides
- Not stated by the operator
- Step-free
- Not stated by the operator
Eastern roadside entrance between Innerleithen and Walkerburn
Plora Wood protects ancient broadleaved woodland on the southern side of the Tweed valley. The SOC describes resident Treecreeper and Great Spotted Woodpecker, joined by Redstart in spring and summer. This gives a specific woodland birding purpose distinct from the surrounding conifer forests. Begin at the small eastern roadside entrance and follow the established contouring path, stopping to watch trunks and canopy rather than trying to cover every slope. The Woodland Trust’s current management plan describes narrow, sometimes steep and slippery paths, with the managed routes concentrated in the eastern half of the wood.
Birds and seasons
- Redstart · Headline bird — Spring and summer Source for Redstart
- Treecreeper — Year-round Source for Treecreeper
- Great Spotted Woodpecker — Year-round Source for Great Spotted Woodpecker
Plan your visit
- Hides and viewpoints
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Paths
- Unsurfaced paths can be narrow, steep, muddy and slippery; most managed paths are in the eastern half.
- Toilets
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Parking
- The main eastern entrance has a small layby for around three or four cars.
- Dogs
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Access notes
- The steep ground and difficult surfaces require good mobility.
- Step-free access
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
Getting there: Use the minor road linking Innerleithen and Walkerburn south of the Tweed. The eastern entrance has a Woodland Trust sign and limited parking; Walkerburn bus stops are about one kilometre away. The SOC’s NT356367 reference locates the eastern approach, independently checked against a nearby postcode.
Sources
Social preview: original typographic artwork by Does Your Duck Quack.
Nearby special trips
- Musselburgh Lagoons and Levenhall Links · 22.9 straight-line miles
- Cameron Reservoir · 46.9 straight-line miles
- Caerlaverock NNR public trails · 48.0 straight-line miles
Continue birding nearby
Nearest full guide: Aberlady Bay Local Nature Reserve, 28.1 miles away in a straight line.
- Hare and Dunhog Mosses · 10.2 miles in a straight line
- Lindean Loch Nature Reserve · 10.3 miles in a straight line
- Bemersyde Moss · 16.1 miles in a straight line