At 33 hectares, this is the largest green site in Burgess Hill. Owned by Mid Sussex District Council, it lies at the north east of the town. It is signposted from Maple Drive and Valebridge Road.
There are 7 meadows set in ancient woodlands, with a great profusion of wildlife, including the protected Hazel Dormouse.
Wildflowers are abundant, so much so that the Millennium Seedbank and High Weald Landscape Trust both harvest seeds here. Wildflower meadows like these are becoming increasingly rare in the U K, with only about 3% of their original number surviving today.
The River Adur and a large Mill Pond run along the northern boundary, with the London – Brighton railway along the eastern side.
There are a few smaller ponds, as well as a fenced Dipping Pond, complete with platform, which is frequently booked by children’s groups and schools.
This beautiful site is regularly enjoyed both by local residents and by visitors from further afield.
Much of the western border of Bedelands is unfenced, being a continuation of the ancient woodland found on the reserve proper. This land extends west to Freeks Lane. It is privately owned and there are actually NO public rights of way across this area (see local Ordnance Survey Map).
Bedelands itself is crossed by several public rights of way and is always open.
Bedelands update: 950 free tree slips arrived on 21st November, for planting in the coming weeks. This continues our project to create native hedges along existing stock fencing in the meadows, with the aim of replacing them. As well as being more wildlife-friendly, this will save MSDC future expense in replacing these fences, which are subject to gradual decay as well as to vandalism. This batch of slips includes hawthorn, hazel, blackthorn, dogwood & dog rose.
We have almost completed checking the dormouse boxes, many of which sadly need replacing due to vandalism, even after positioning them high above the ground. We found no actual dormice, but did find two dormouse nests, so at least they are still present on the reserve. We also found some woodmice, a few of which had almost filled their chosen boxes with stored acorns for the coming winter.
Hazel posts & binders are arriving in mid-December, so that we can continue re-laying the hedge between Wet Meadow & Old Arable during this winter.