List of national nature reserves in Somerset

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List of national nature reserves in Somerset is located in Somerset
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National nature reserves in Somerset

The

county of Avon, are North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset
.

National Trust, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.[2]

There are 15 national nature reserves in the county. The largest is

mud flats, saltmarsh, sandflats and shingle ridges. The smallest is Hardington Moor at 8.7 hectares (21.5 acres) in area. Several of the sites are associated with rivers and low-lying areas of the Somerset Levels. The highest is Dunkery and Horner Wood which covers 1,604 hectares (3,964 acres) of wet and dry heathland, ancient woodland and open grassland on Exmoor including Dunkery Beacvon, the highest point in the county. Ebbor Gorge
is important for both biological and geological interest.

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Sites

Site Photograph District Area[a] Location[b] Map[c] Details[d] Description
Barrington Hill South Somerset 17.8 hectares (44.0 acres) Broadway
50°56′53″N 2°59′49″W / 50.948°N 2.997°W / 50.948; -2.997 (Barrington Hill)
ST300170 		Map Details This site comprises four meadows surrounded by well-established hedges on gently sloping clay-rich soils. It is an outstanding example of a traditionally managed unimproved neutral grassland of a type now rare in Britain. The meadows belong to a type characterised by the widespread occurrence of
green-winged orchid (Orchis morio). A total of 74 species of orchids have so far been recorded. This site is one of only three localities in Britain in which the grass Gaudinia fragilis is a prominent feature of the sward.[3]
Bridgwater Bay Sedgemoor 2,639 hectares (6,521 acres) Otterhampton
51°10′59″N 3°04′48″W / 51.183°N 3.080°W / 51.183; -3.080 (Bridgwater Bay)
ST246431 		Map Details
Pawlett
Hams", also drain into the bay.
Dunkery and Horner Wood West Somerset 1,604 hectares (3,964 acres) Luccombe
51°11′20″N 3°33′32″W / 51.189°N 3.559°W / 51.189; -3.559 (Dunkery and Horner Wood)
SS910445 		Map Details The Dunkery and Horner Wood NNR is one of the largest in England. It includes
National Trust-owned Holnicote Estate.[6]
Ebbor Gorge Mendip 47 hectares (116 acres) St Cuthbert Out
51°14′02″N 2°40′55″W / 51.234°N 2.682°W / 51.234; -2.682 (Ebbor Gorge)
ST525485 		Map Details
end of the last ice age. The nature reserve provides a habitat for a variety of flora and fauna, including flowers, butterflies and bats.[13]
Gordano Valley North Somerset 126 hectares (311 acres) Walton in Gordano
51°27′11″N 2°48′50″W / 51.453°N 2.814°W / 51.453; -2.814 (Gordano Valley)
ST433731 		Map Details A
fen pondweed (Potamogeton coloratus).[14]
Ham Wall Mendip 87.27 hectares (215.6 acres) Sharpham
51°09′18″N 2°40′55″W / 51.155°N 2.682°W / 51.155; -2.682 (Ham Wall)
ST525485 		Map Details The
bearded tit, bittern, Cetti's warbler, hobby and starling.[17]
Hardington Moor South Somerset 8.7 hectares (21.5 acres) Hardington Mandeville
50°54′50″N 2°41′28″W / 50.914°N 2.691°W / 50.914; -2.691 (Hardington Moor)
ST515130 		Map Details
gatekeeper, small tortoiseshell and common blue. Less commonly seen are large skipper, green-veined white and green hairstreak.[18]
Hawkcombe Woods West Somerset 98 hectares (242 acres) Porlock
51°12′07″N 3°35′35″W / 51.202°N 3.593°W / 51.202; -3.593 (Hawkcombe Woods)
SS886459 		Map Details Hawkcombe Woods is near Porlock on Exmoor.[19] The 101 hectares (249.6 acres) woodlands are notable for their lichens, heath fritillary butterfly, red wood ant colonies, dead wood invertebrates and ancient pollards.[20] They are part of the North Exmoor Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Huntspill River Sedgemoor 149 hectares (368 acres) East Huntspill
51°12′29″N 3°00′50″W / 51.208°N 3.014°W / 51.208; -3.014 (Huntspill River)
ST291459 		Map Details The River Huntspill (or Huntspill River) is an artificial river, in the Somerset Levels. It was built in 1940 to supply process water to ROF Bridgwater, and has resulted in reduced flooding of the lower Brue Valley. Huntspill Sluice at the river's western end, also known as West Huntspill Sluice, separates it from the River Parrett. A stretch of the river, from Gold Corner to Huntspill Sluice (excluding the Cripps River), is a national nature reserve. The NNR is managed by the Environment Agency. The river discharges into the River Parrett, just south of Highbridge which then flows into Bridgwater Bay.[21] Public access to the site is restricted.
Leigh Woods North Somerset 64 hectares (158 acres) Leigh Woods
51°27′47″N 2°38′20″W / 51.463°N 2.639°W / 51.463; -2.639 (Leigh Woods)
ST559733 		Map Details Leigh Woods is an area of woodland on the south-west side of the
western spiked speedwell
(Veronica spicata) are common in June and July.
Rodney Stoke Mendip 51 hectares (126 acres) Rodney Stoke
51°15′11″N 2°43′44″W / 51.253°N 2.729°W / 51.253; -2.729 (Rodney Stoke)
ST492507 		Map Details Rodney Stoke is a
brown argus (Aricia agestis) and grayling (Hipparchia semele).[24]
General access is only via the one footpath across the site.
Shapwick Heath Sedgemoor 509 hectares (1,258 acres) Shapwick
51°09′32″N 2°48′50″W / 51.159°N 2.814°W / 51.159; -2.814 (Shapwick Heath)
ST436400 		Map Details
Brue Valley Living Landscape conservation project. Shapwick Heath, part of the Avalon Marshes in the Somerset Levels Wetlands, and managed as a national nature reserve by Natural England, is a former raised bog lying in the basin of the River Brue. The site supports a diverse community of terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates. National rarities are the greater silver diving beetle (Hydrophilus piceus) and the lesser silver diving beetle (Hydrochara caraboides) which is now confined nationally to the Brue Basin Peat Moors.[26]
Somerset Levels Sedgemoor 463 hectares (1,144 acres) Moorlinch
51°07′16″N 2°52′55″W / 51.121°N 2.882°W / 51.121; -2.882 (Somerset Levels)
ST383361 		Map Details The Somerset Levels national nature reserve covers several areas of the wider Somerset Levels. The specific sites include the Moorlinch SSSI, Southlake Moor and part of King's Sedgemoor. The habitats covered are open water and lowland grassland which are frequented by resident and visiting birds.[27] The water table is high for most of the year with frequent winter flooding from high ground and surface water remaining on many fields throughout the winter and early spring. Moorlinch contains a good proportion of botanically rich ditch systems.[28] Public access is restricted.
Tarr Steps Woodland West Somerset 33.4 hectares (82.5 acres) Winsford
51°04′37″N 3°37′05″W / 51.077°N 3.618°W / 51.077; -3.618 (Tarr Steps Woodland)
SS863324 		Map Details Owned by Exmoor National Park Authority, Tarr Steps Woodland national nature reserve covers 33 hectares of the
barbastelle bat (Barbastella barbastellus) and otter that feed along the unpolluted and fast-flowing river.[33]
Westhay Moor Mendip 105 hectares (259 acres) Meare
51°11′49″N 2°46′52″W / 51.197°N 2.781°W / 51.197; -2.781 (Westhay Moor)
ST454443 		Map Details
Ramsar Site.[34] The low-lying swampy area of Westhay Moor has had peat laid down over older rocks for the last 10,000 years. Peat extraction on the Somerset Levels has occurred since the area was first drained by the Romans.[35] Measures to improve the drainage were carried out in the Middle Ages largely by Glastonbury Abbey.[36] In the 17th and 18th centuries further drainage work was undertaken including digging a series of rhynes, or ditches and larger drainage canals.[37][38][39] Peat extraction peaked in the 1960s but has since declined.[40][41] The geology of the moor and prolonged peat extraction has provided a unique environment which provides a habitat for a range of flora and fauna.[42] Much of the nature reserve managed by the Somerset Wildlife Trust is based around abandoned peatworkings which have now become flooded.[43][44][45] It is particularly noted for the millions of starlings which congregate at the site.[46][47][48]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Unless specified otherwise, the area is taken from the MAGIC map of each site. (Click on the identify icon (i) in the "Feature Tools" and then click on the site.)
  2. ^ The location is a central point within the site.
  3. ^ The maps link to the UK Government MAGIC mapping system.
  4. ^ Details are on the pages on each site in the Natural England listing of national nature reserves in the county.

References

  1. ^ "Protected or designated areas". Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England. Archived from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  2. ^ "National Nature Reserves in England". Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  3. ^ "Barrington Hill Meadows" (PDF). English Nature. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2006. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  4. ^ "Bridgwater Bay SSSI citation sheet" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. English Nature. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Bridgwater Bay NNR". National Nature Reserves. Natural England. Archived from the original on 10 January 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  6. ^ "Dunkery and Horner Wood". Somerset's National Nature Reserves. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  7. ^ "Wookey Hole and Ebbor Gorge". British Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  8. ^ Donovan, D.T. (1988). "The late pleistocene sequence at Wells, Somerset" (PDF). Proceedings of the University of Bristol Speleological Society. 18 (2): 241–257. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 December 2013.
  9. ISBN 978-0-575-03453-2
    .
  10. ^ Lewis, Jodie (1998). "The Everton flint collection in Wells Museum" (PDF). Proceedings of the University of Bristol Speleological Society. 21 (2): 141–148. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 December 2013.
  11. ^ Brown, Graham. "Dispersed settlements on the southern Mendip escarpment. The earthwork evidence" (PDF). Research Department Report Series no 72-2008. English Heritage. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  12. ^ "Ebbor Gorge NNR". Natural England. Archived from the original on 10 July 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  13. ISBN 978-0-575-03453-2
    .
  14. ^ "Gordano Valley SSSI citation" (PDF). Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  15. ^ "Ham Wall". The RSPB. Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  16. ^ "Ham Wall NNR". Natural England. Archived from the original on 2 September 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  17. ^ "The RSPB: Ham Wall: Star species". The RSPB. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  18. ^ "Hardington Moor NNR". Natural England. Archived from the original on 11 January 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  19. ^ "Hawkcombe Woods NNR". Natural England. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  20. ^ "Proposed National Nature Reserves at Hawkcombe and Tarr Steps" (PDF). Exmoor National Park. 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  21. ^ "River Huntspill". Somerset Rivers. Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  22. ^ "Avon Gorge SSSI" (PDF). Natural England. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  23. ^ "Leigh Woods NNR". Natural England. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  24. ^ "Rodney Stoke" (PDF). English Nature. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2006.
  25. ^ "Shapwick Heath NNR". Natural England. Archived from the original on 20 January 2010. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  26. ^ "Shapwick Heath" (PDF). English Nature. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 October 2006. Retrieved 19 August 2006.
  27. ^ "Southlake Moor" (PDF). English Nature. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 October 2006. Retrieved 21 August 2006.
  28. ^ "Moorlinch" (PDF). English Nature. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 October 2006. Retrieved 17 August 2006.
  29. ^ "Tarr Steps and the Exmoor National Park". Everything Exmoor. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  30. ^ "Tarr Steps and the Exmoor National Park". Everything Exmoor. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  31. ^ "Dulverton to Tarr Steps" (PDF). Exmoor National Park. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  32. ^ "Tarr Steps Woods". Exmoor National Park. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  33. ^ "Woods get conservation accolade". BBC. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  34. ^ "Westhay Moor NNR". Natural England. Archived from the original on 2 September 2010. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  35. ^ "'Introduction', A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 8: The Poldens and the Levels". A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 8. Victoria County History. pp. 1–7. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
  36. ^ Bulleid, L.R.C.P., F.S.A., Arthur; Harold St. George Gray, M.A., F.S.A. (1948). The Meare Lake Village. Taunton: pub. privately. pp. 1–14. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  37. ISBN 978-0521106856
    .
  38. ^ Siraut, M. C.; Thacker, T. H.; Williamson, Elizabeth. "'Parishes: Meare', in A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 9, Glastonbury and Street". British History Online. Victoria County Histories. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  39. ISBN 0-340-20116-9
    .
  40. ^ "Meare land owners have lost the right to dig peat after 45 years". Central Somerset Gazette. 24 June 2014. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  41. ^ "Peat extraction rights revoked at Westhay Moor, Glastonbury". Mineral Planning. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  42. ^ "Westhay Moor" (PDF). English Nature. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 October 2006. Retrieved 22 August 2006.
  43. ^ "Westhay Moor National Nature reserve". Wildlife Extra. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  44. ^ "Somerset's National Nature Reserves". Natural England. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  45. ISBN 9780521214032
    .
  46. ^ "Exploring Westhay Moor". BBC. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  47. ^ "Westhay Moor Nature Reserve". Somerset Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  48. ^ "Westhay Moor". Taunton Local Group. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.

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