It is an artificial reservoir constructed in 1819 by a Mr Nesbit who dammed the streams flowing into the gully, it was said to be well stocked with carp, perch and trout.

The Privy Council halted the felling, arguing that the woods were home to deer for the king's sport.

The Woodland Trust Reserve covers an area of 86 hectares (210 acres) around 1.5 kilometres (0.93 miles) south of the village of Stenton on the northern slopes of Deuchrie Dod, one of the Lammermuir Hills.

[2] The lake and woods are home to a variety of wildlife including deer, otters and bats.

[5] The woods are one of the few places in East Lothian where common redstart nests and in 2006 were host to the first record of Iberian chiffchaff in Scotland.