| Mere Sands Wood | |
|---|---|
 The main lake | |
  Location in West Lancashire | |
| Coordinates | 53°38′08″N2°50′14″W / 53.635491°N 2.83709°W /53.635491; -2.83709 |
| Created | 1982 (1982) |
| Operated by | Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside |
| Status | SSSI |
| Website | Official site |
Mere Sands Wood is a 105 acres (42 ha)nature reserve between the villages ofHolmeswood andRufford in westLancashire,England, managed byThe Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside. It lies about five miles fromOrmskirk. The name derives from when the area was on the shore ofMartin Mere.
Situated nearRufford, Lancashire,[1] the reserve comprises lakes, mature broadleaved and conifer woodland, sandy, wet meadows and heaths,[2] standing on layers of sand and peat, deposited over boulder clay during thelast ice age.[2] It covers 105 acres (42 ha), and includes a visitors centre, two nature trails, six wildlifehides, and one viewing platform.[1]
The reserve is visited by over 170 species of birds, 60 of which have bred there. There are also regular sightings of roe deer, stoats and foxes,[2] a total of 17 species of mammals within the area[3] including a small population ofred squirrels. Fifteen species ofdragonfly can be found at the reserve, ten of which have bred there.[1] The woodland consists mainly of birch and oak trees with a Scots Pine plantation, where the red squirrels reside.[4] There also 200 species of fungi found at Mere Sands.[3]
Mere Sands was originally part of theMartin Mere lake, which hasAuthurian links. The lake had been 15 miles (24 km) in circumference around that time. BetweenAnglo-saxon times and the late 1800s, the area included afishery which stocked eels as well as fresh water fish.[5]Between 1974 and 1982 the sand was quarried for use in glass-making.[2] Under a planning agreement, the site was landscaped into a nature reserve once the extraction was completed.[2] TheWildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside acquired the site in 1982 and the reserves was designated aSite of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its geological interest in 1985.[2] Each year, tens of thousands of visitors are attracted to the site. In March 2020, one of the long standing hides, dedicated toCyril Gibbons was burnt down in anarson attack.[6]