Dersingham Bog

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Dersingham Bog National Nature Reserve can be found close to the West Norfolk Villages of Dersingham and Wolferton and represents one of the few remaining wilderness ares left in this part of Norfolk’s landscape which is otherwise dominated by intensive agriculture. The Reserve is part of the Sandringham Royal Estate The reserve comprises three distinct habitats of mire, heath and woodland. Acid valley mire is found over much of the low-lying parts of the reserve where the ground is waterlogged for most of the year.

[edit] Habitats and Wildlife

The Mire’s make-up of wet acid peat makes it ideal conditions for some rare and divers species of plants such as Bog Asphodels (Latin Name: Narthecium ossifragum), Round-Leaved Sundew (Latin Name: Drosera rotundifolia) , White Beaked sedge (Latin Name: Rhynchospora alba) and cranberry. The Mire also has some examples of rare insects such as the Black Darter Dragonfly (Latin Name: Sympetrum danae) and moths such as the Light Knot Grass (Latin Name: Acronicta menyanthidis).In the dark it is possible to see Glow worms. The mire lies on shallow peat and is bordered on one side by a steep escarpment which containing large areas of dry heath and woodland which marks the edge of an ancient coastline. The woodland at Dersingham is quite recent and contains Scots pine, oak, sweet chestnut, sycamore and birch. The woodland glades attract birds such as redpoll, crossbill, long-eared owl, Tree Pipit, Woodlark, Shelduck, Nightjar, and sparrowhawk.

[edit] Access

All of Dersingham is open access and ther are many well-marked routes to follow which provide easy access for visitors to explore this wilderness. There are car parks at Wolferton and Scissors Cross for which there is no charge.