Five Top Wiltshire Walks

GREAT WILTSHIRE WALKS

In Wiltshire we are spoilt for choice when it comes to wonderful summer walks. Showcasing a diverse range of flora, fauna and landscapes, here are five top walks to enjoy over the summer holidays and beyond...

1MORNINGSIDE MEADOWS near Royal Wootton Bassett With its abundance of wildflowers, Morningside Meadows is a national treasure. In summer, the fields are ablaze with colour and the air is filled with wildflower perfume. There is a wealth of butterflies, crickets and pollinating insects, while birds nest in the mature hedgerows. What can you see here? Extensive areas of great burnet and drifts of betony, ladies bedstraw, bird's-foot trefoil, meadow sweet, meadow cranesbill, and knapweed are found at Morningside Meadows, as well as a wide variety of birds. If you're lucky, you may spot the bright blue flash of a kingfisher as it flies along the canal. House martins and swallows have also been seen at the reserve.

You'll find extensive areas of wildflowers, including great burnet, at Morningside Meadows

2COOMBE BISSETT DOWN near Salisbury There are over 70 acres of beautiful chalk downland at Coombe Bissett Down, just south of Salisbury with stunning views over the surrounding countryside. Part of the reserve has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of the rare flora and fauna found there. It is also one of Wiltshire Wildlife’s first reserves to have a designated Tramper map, as well as Large Print, Easy Read and Visual ID guides all available to download prior to your visit, as we try to make nature accessible to all. What can you see here? In the summer months the chalk downland comes alive with butterflies such as Adonis blue, chalkhill blue, dingy skipper and marbled white as well as a glorious display of wildflowers, including delicate harebells, bee orchid, devil’s-bit scabious and Wiltshire’s county flower - the burnt orchid.

High Clear Down offers uninterrupted countryside views

3HIGH CLEAR DOWN Marlborough The steeply sloping chalk downland of High Clear Down, close to Aldbourne, near Marlborough has no set footpaths so you can wander freely over the grass. In summer, enjoy the beautiful wildflowers and the uninterrupted views of rolling countryside. There is an abundance of flowers because the down

An orchid at High Clear Down has escaped being ‘improved’ by fertilisers and pesticides and has been continuously and lightly grazed.

What can you see here? Wiltshire Wildlife Trust bought the reserve in 1998 because it has one of the country’s largest populations of the nationally scarce early gentian. This is a little annual with a purple trumpet that flowers in May and June and is unique to Britain. The orchids that flower here are fragrant, common spotted and pyramidal. In some years you can find green winged and frog orchids, and at the end of summer a few spikes of autumn ladies-tresses. Butterflies such as the nationallyscarce Duke of Burgundy, brown argus and a clutch of blues – the Adonis, common, chalkhill and are also in residence on the reserve.

Green veined white butterflies at Morgan's Hill "Where there are flowers, butterflies follow. Along the Wansdyke you can find the Adonis, chalkhill, common and small blues."

Morgan's Hill

4MORGAN'S HILL near Calne Situated between Devizes and Calne, Morgan’s Hill offers incredible views of Cherhill Down and the plains of north Wiltshire. The reserve is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its orchids, butterflies and for the general quality of chalk grassland and wildflowers.

A Roman road runs along its northern edge and the fifth century Wansdyke defines its southern border - it was built to defend the northern territory of Wessex. This large bank with a deep ditch is home to early purple orchids and round-headed rampion.

What can you see here? Unusually, all three of the UK’s native conifer trees grow here - Scots pine, juniper and yew - possibly planted as way-markers to signpost the drovers’ route. Cowslips, primroses and violets bloom in spring, with wild thyme, horseshoe vetch, common rock rose and marsh helleborine in summer.

Where there are flowers, butterflies follow. Along the Wansdyke you can find the Adonis, chalkhill, common and small blues. Further down the slopes look for the marsh fritillary – one of the UK’s most endangered species of butterfly, which feeds on devil’s-bit scabious. The reserve is a magnet for moths such as the Mother Shipton and birds that can be found on the reserve include

16 species of dragonflies and damselflies can be found at Ravensroost

kestrel, buzzard, yellow hammer and skylark.

5RAVENSROOST WOOD & MEADOWS Between Malmesbury & Royal Wootton Bassett Ravensroost Wood is full of interesting wildlife and history and the surrounding wildflower fields offer a very contrasting experience.

The wood’s northern section is a fine example of ancient woodland, meaning it has been continuously wooded since at least 1600AD. The south was almost completely cleared from the mid-1600s to make way for agriculture, before being replanted in the 19th century. What can you see here? Ravensroost Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and fantastic for birds such as tawny owls and lesser spotted woodpeckers. In summer, listen out for warblers, blackcap, wren and treecreepers. The western fields surrounding the wood are particularly colourful and contains pignut, pepper-saxifrage, oxeye daisy, devil’s-bit scabious, meadow vetchling and betony.

The meadows are surrounded by mature hedgerows and contain plenty of blackthorn, which is the food plant of the rare brown hairstreak butterfly’s caterpillar. Sixteen species of dragonflies and damselflies are drawn to the ponds in the middle of Ravensroost Meadows.

"The wood’s northern section is a fine example of ancient woodland, meaning it has been continuously wooded since at least 1600AD."

For more information about the 40 reserves Wiltshire Wildlife Trust manages, conserves and supports visit the website.

• wiltshirewildlife.org

Devil's bit scabious image © Ralph Harvey