Nockatt Coppice

Nockatt Coppice sits at the outermost edge of the Fir zone, near the village entrance road and the car park. It takes its name from a real nature reserve within the Center Parcs grounds - a managed coppice containing a locally important piece of heathland maintained by the Center Parcs Grounds team.

This heathland has a remarkable origin story. A severe storm in 1990, four years before Center Parcs opened, flattened trees across the area. The destruction exposed a dormant seed bank of heather in the soil, which flourished in the newly opened canopy. The rangers recognised its ecological value and have managed and expanded the heathland ever since. The wider forest is part of Longleat Woods, a 249.9-hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) notified in 1972, containing ancient semi-natural broadleaved woodland dominated by pedunculate oak, ash, and hazel.

The Nockatt Coppice car park doubles as the starting point for the Heaven's Gate walk and the circular route to Shearwater Lake. This makes the stop a useful reference point for guests wanting to explore the Longleat Estate on foot outside the village.

Lodges near this stop (approximately 735, 512, 522-548) are among the most remote on the site, offering deep woodland seclusion but requiring the longest journeys to the Plaza and Sports Plaza.