THERE are very few places in England where you can still see red squirrels in the wild but Mere Sands Wood is one of them.
It is situated half a mile out of Rufford village on the B5246 Holmeswood to Southport Road. The wood is owned and managed by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust.
The 42 hectare site stands on a layered sand and peat area deposited by the wind over boulder clay during the last Ice Age. The name dates back to medieval times when the area was on the banks of a huge lake (bigger than Windermere) called Martin Mere which itself is now an excellent nature reserve run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
The Mere Sands area had so much pure sand that from 1974 to 1982 it was quarried by the glass industry.
Since 1982 a great deal of hard work by the Trust, local government workers and volunteers has developed the site. There are now hides, footpaths and tree plantings.
If you wish to visit, or better still to join the Trust, contact The Warden, Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve, Holmeswood Road, Rufford, West Lancashire, L40 1TG. Tel: 01704 821809.
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