The main body of the wood is birch, hazel, blackthorn, oak, rowan and willow with dog rose, viburnum and blackberry. Several large pine trees border the pasture to the west.

The area near the ride-stop is mostly tall spruce and pine with some large oak trees.

Being part of a bigger forest, Bown Croft Wood is rich in wildlife. Inhabited by a wide range of woodland birds, buzzards and tawny owls are never very far away. Blackbirds, chiff chaffs, robins and wrens love the denser areas of undergrowth, the insects and the berries found amongst the array of plants that grow here.

Deer, fox, brown hare and badger all pass through. Look out for their tracks and signs.

Flocks of tits move through the canopy and woodpeckers and tree creepers can often be seen too.

The watercourse is a very beneficial draw for wildlife and the grass and flower-filled tracks and rides are a haven for butterflies and bees.

Part way into the wood, a glade has been cleared where a bench is situated: a great spot to sit and infuse the healing power of the natural surroundings.

The ride-stop entrance to the wood is reached on good stone tracks and from here, a footpath leads through the tall trees to a timber footbridge, spanning the watercourse.

Within the younger part of Bown Croft, a path weaves through the trees, crossing a bluebell and foxglove-filled grassy track that crosses north-south. The path continues on until the western boundary is reached and a path, which has been mown in the past, runs along its length.

The shooting and mineral rights are included in the sale.

There are no public rights of way in the wood.

The internal drainage board has a right of access to maintain the watercourse.

The wood is an ideal project wood for an owner who would like to keep fit and active, shaping this ancient wood for future generations. For instance, clearing glades amongst the birch and bracken and carrying out planting to further diversify the woodland species.

Thinning some of the conifers near the entrance could be beneficial for the old oaks too and a more open spacing would help the pines and spruces reach their potential too.

There’s no shortage of firewood and the new owner may enjoy sitting around a campfire with friends and family on occasion, listening to the owls hoot as the dusk draws in.

The wood takes its name, Bown Croft, from a neighbouring field name, labelled on the 1794 map of the Manor of Brafferton. Bown is likely to have been a family name. Brafferton is a charming village, situated on the eastern bank of the River Swale, the location has been an important strategic crossing point for centuries. In the centre of the village is a block of buildings erected in 1873, by the late James Coates esq. (d. 1905), comprising of a reading room, institute, a cottage hospital and four almshouses for widows. An attractive fountain was also erected in 1897.