Rufford Lancashire hotels:

Mere Sands Wood is a wildlife rich haven in the heart of agricultural West Lancashire. The reserve covers 42 hectares (105 acres) and is made up of lakes, mature broadleaved and conifer woodland, sandy, wet meadows and heaths. The management of the reserve is designed not only to encourage wildlife, but also to provide facilities for people to visit and enjoy seeing the wildlife. The site is nationally important for wildfowl and dragonflies, as well as its geology, and has a fascinating history. It stands on an area of layered sand and peat which was deposited by the wind over boulder clay during the last ice age, and by periods of water logging following this period. The sand and peat layers have remained almost undisturbed since this time and are therefore of international importance in the understanding of the changes that occurred to the Lancashire coastline since the ice retreated northwards. This geological interest warranted the Reserve being designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1985.