Pewsey Downs National Nature Reserve

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Overview

Pewsey Downs NNR is one of the finest remaining areas of Wiltshire’s iconic chalk downland. Comprising Milk, Walkers and Knap Hills on the southern edge of the Marlborough Downs, the reserve is probably most famous for its engraving of the Alton Barnes White Horse, created in 1937 to mark the coronation of George VI. In botanical terms, the site is best known for its orchid-rich grassland, and it is one of the few remaining sites where the internationally important early gentian grows. In spring and summer plants include orchids like the burnt tip, lesser butterfly and frog orchid, which help support the butterflies for which the reserve is very well known. The 28 resident breeding species include the internationally rare marsh fritillary, dark green fritillary, Duke of Burgundy, Adonis blue and large populations of the chalk hill blue. The rare and specially protected warty newt breeds in some of the few remaining dew ponds on the downs.

Location

Alton Barnes

About the area

Wiltshire’s charm lies in the beauty of its countryside, with expansive chalk landscapes of the Marlborough and Pewsey downs and miles of uninterrupted views deep into Dorset, Somerset and the Cotswolds. Stroll through quaint timbered and thatched villages in the southern Woodford and Avon valleys and explore the historic streets of the stone villages of Lacock, Castle Combe and Sherston.