Clennon Gorge

Clennon Gorge is a secluded wooded valley of 60 acres on the south-east corner of Paignton Zoo. It is home to many plants and animals and was identified as a County Wildlife Site by Devon Wildlife Trust due to its areas of limestone grassland and semi-natural ancient woodland

The limestone grassland plateau is important because the limestone changes the quality of thin soils above, which in turn effects the type of plants that can grow there.  These communities of plants are rare so it is important to preserve little areas like this one.  The grassland's main ally over the years has been the humble rabbit whose grazing has prevented it from disappearing under a canopy of ash trees.  In the last ten years we have been felling trees and shrubs to expand the area of open grassland, as well as maintaining the existing area with the use of goats to help the rabbits out with the grazing.

The majority of Clennon Gorge is an ancient semi-natural woodland; this means that it has been continuously wooded since at least 1600 AD, although in that time human management has dramatically changed its structure and composition, mainly through the associated works of quarrying limestone and burning it to create lime.   Quarrying ceased in the 19th century, but it left its mark on the woodland because so much wood was required to fuel the lime kilns that the woods were coppiced to encourage rapid regrowth and nowadays you can still see the overgrown hazel coppice throughout the woods.

Although most of the Gorge is closed to the public, part of it incorporates the Zoo's Nature Trail which is a wonderfully peaceful 10 minute walk that loops around a section of coppice woodland and skirts a stream and pond.  Although abandoned for some time coppicing has been reinstated along the Nature Trail, using the traditional method of cutting small subplots in rotation. The creation of this patchwork habitat increases the number of associated flora and fauna.

.