Get closer to nature

Postcode HP18 0RF (for Leaches Farm and Ludgershall Meadows)

Great for… Locally scarce wading birds

Best time to visit Winter to summer

Size 212 hectares

Map ref SP 646 198 (Leaches Farm)

Wading birds like lapwing and curlew were once common in our region but as the floodplain meadows disappeared, so too did their haunting calls. Thankfully, a few strongholds remain, such as here along this patchwork of meadows.

The Upper Ray Meadows is a special place at any time of year but none more so than in spring, when the ancient ridge and furrow undulations, untouched by modern ploughing, burst into floriferous life. Look out for meadow favourites such as raggedrobin, yellow rattle and cuckooflower among the grasses and sedges.

Lapwing and curlew will have arrived towards the end of winter and may now be seen displaying as they seek to forge new bonds or strengthen old ones. In recent years new pools, ditches, and scrapes have

You’re been created to hold on to winter’s wetness for longer. This has made a big difference as more feeding opportunities remain for their chicks well into spring. Other wildlife like frogs, toads, dragonflies, and damselflies have also benefited.

Did you know BBOWT protects 10% of all remaining lowland floodplain meadows found in the UK. But we couldn’t do it without you!

The sprawling meadows have been pieced together, bit by bit. The most recent addition was in 2021 when we were thrilled to purchase Ludgershall Meadows following a major appeal. This 31 hectares of hay meadow and permanent pasture to the immediate south of Leaches Farm has expanded Upper Ray Meadows into an even greater wildlife haven.

Work is now underway to help Ludgershall Meadows reach its full potential, as has happened several times before on nearby meadows. Hunting birds such as kestrels and owls are known to feast on the small mammals that scamper among the pasture, and it’s hoped other birds will follow. It will be fascinating to watch Ludgershall transform over the coming summers, as seed-filled green hay from Leaches Farm is spread to kickstart a new wild flowerrich chapter to these meadows.

Postcode OX27 7NU

Great for… Butterflies and geological treasures

Best time to visit Spring to summer

Size 11 hectares

Map ref SP 534 274

Treasures abound in this old quarry. The exposed rock gives up secrets from many millions of years ago, revealing geological insights from the Jurassic period, while medieval earthworks remind us of a more recent, though still-distant past. Today’s wanderer can explore treasures of a wild kind: a host of spring wild flowers such as bugle, primroses and violets, followed by stunning orchids like the common spotted and bee orchid.

The shelter of the quarry is prime butterfly territory, with colonies of skippers and green hairstreaks and, in the grassier areas, marbled whites.

WALK with care to avoid damaging precious wild flowers:

Follow the WALK code:

Watch where you walk,

Abide by the rules of the site,

Leave the site as you found it,

Keep to the paths

Then check out the bonus content in the extended version of Wild Berks, Bucks & Oxon. Read it at bbowt.org.uk/ publications

Fall in love with your nearest nature reserve. Find it at bbowt.org.uk/reserves

Postcode RG17 9XR

Great for… Rare newts

Best time to visit Spring to summer

Size 3 hectares

Map ref SU 386 663

This tiny reserve holds a big surprise: a breeding colony of nationally rare great crested newts. The ponds, together with surrounding reedbed, opportunities for summer migrants such as warblers. It’s a small but wonderfully diverse site, yet Kintbury

Newt Ponds was almost lost to housing development in the late 1990s, saved only by the great crested newt’s protected status. While the wartyskinned saviours are the main attraction, both smooth and palmate newts may also be