Marline Valley Woods is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the western outskirts of

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

in East Sussex. An area of is a Local Nature Reserve owned by Hastings Borough Council and managed by the

Sussex Wildlife Trust The Sussex Wildlife Trust (SWT) is a conservation charity which aims to protect natural life in Sussex. It was founded in 1961 and is one of 46 wildlife trusts across the UK and the Isle of Man and Alderney. , it has 33,000 members and manages ...

. This site has ancient woodland and species rich unimproved grassland. The wood has standards of

pedunculate oak ''Quercus robur'', commonly known as common oak, pedunculate oak, European oak or English oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native to most of Europe west of the Caucasus. It is widel ...

and coppice of

hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Origin of names The common English name ''hornbeam ...

, hazel and

sweet chestnut ''Castanea sativa'', the sweet chestnut, Spanish chestnut or just chestnut, is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae, native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and widely cultivated throughout the temperate world. A substantial, long-lived ...

. A stream runs along a steep sided valley which has 61 species of mosses and liverworts, including some uncommon species. There is access from Queensway.

References

{{Local Nature Reserves in East Sussex Local Nature Reserves in East Sussex Sussex Wildlife Trust Sites of Special Scientific Interest in East Sussex Hastings