HEATH FRITILLARIES AT HOCKLEY WOODS

The best access point is from the end of Mount Bovers Lane at the Hawkwell side of the woods at TQ837914. If coming from Southend direction norther along Hall Road/Main Road look for a left hand turn, Mount Bovers Lane, after the sharp right hand bend. Immediately after this turn left into Poplars Avenue (signposted to Belchamps). At top of road turn left and park at the end at the junction of the paved road and the dirt track Mount Bovers Lane. At the end of Mount Bovers Lane is a public footpath signposted to 'The Woods'. Keep on the obvious track, it will split after about 100yards or so, keep right where you will have the horse paddocks on the right.

You will enter the woods after about 100yards where a pond will be on the right hand side. This path meets the woodland bridle track just past the pond. Go left along the bridle track keeping the fenced off section on your left. Heath Fritillaries were out along this section. Continue along the bridlepath for roughly 100yards or so until the clearing is seen on the left (TQ844915).
Note it is not an obvious wide open space, it is just more open than the dense woodland on the right, i.e you can see sky. Check the small open glades here where the fritillaries were in abundance. Continue along the main bridlepath to the junction where a large bridleparth enters the darker dense wood on the right side (largest arrow on map). Immediately opposite here is a larger and more open clearing and it was here that had the largest concentrations.
This route is considerably shorter than the one from the main car park by the Bull Pub on the north side of the woods.

Good luck
Steve Arlow

Click on map image to enlarge: