Gimpelfang is a small but wonderfully atmospheric nature reserve on the flank of Mount Tanečnice, near Sebnitz in Saxony. Covering just 10 hectares, it's a place for those who want peaceful old-growth forest rather than crowds - the name itself recalls the area's past as a site for trapping songbirds.

The heart of the reserve is a near-natural alder-ash stream forest along the Mannsgraben brook, while beech woodland covers the south and east, bursting with spring flowers like spring pea and woodruff. Some deciduous trees are over 150 years old, remnants of the coppice management that ended in the mid-19th century. Since 1997, five hectares have been designated a total reserve where no human intervention takes place at all, letting the forest develop entirely on its own terms. In spring, listen for around 25 breeding bird species, including black woodpecker and grey-headed woodpecker, and keep an eye out for the protected hazel dormouse.

How to get there

• Sebnitz — walk southeast towards the flank of Mount Tanečnice, easy route

Practical information

• Legally protected nature reserve (NSG No. D 56)
• Five hectares form a total reserve with no human interference - please stick to marked paths
• Breeding ground for protected bird species and habitat of the hazel dormouse

Fun fact: around 1900, rare orchids such as the ghost orchid and the greater butterfly-orchid grew here, though both have since disappeared - a reminder of how much a forest's flora can change over the decades.