Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve

The Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve is a national nature reserve (NNR) near Chichester, West Sussex in southern England, and is on part of the South Downs. It covers an area of 160 hectares (400 acres). It is part of the wider Site of Special Scientific Interest at Kingley Vale.The site is managed by Natural England. It has an information centre and a nature trail. There is a large area of grass downland and shrub land with a number of old yew trees. From the top there are views over Sussex and the south coast.There are a number of walks and bridleways around the NNR. The main walk is around the woodland and yew trees and up to the top of the hills.The nearest car park is at West Stoke about five miles northwest of Chichester, and there are footpaths leading up from the village of Stoughton.Natural featuresKingley Vale has one of Europe's most impressive yew forests. The forest contains yews as much as 2,000 years old, which are some of the oldest living organisms in Great Britain. Their survival is remarkable because most ancient yew trees across Europe were felled after the 14th century, being the preferred material for the staves of English longbows.