Lydden Temple Ewell National Nature Reserve

Recommended by

Overview

Lydden Temple Ewell NNR, adjacent to the A2 above and between the villages of Lydden and Temple Ewell, is one of Europe’s finest surviving chalk downlands. It consists mainly of ancient chalk grassland on the more inaccessible slopes, with improved grassland on the clay cap and gentler slopes. The best time to visit is probably between May and August, when the reserve is rich in chalk-loving wildflowers such as burnt-tip, early spider, common spotted and fragrant orchids, plus milk wort and autumn gentian later in the year. Lydden Temple Ewell NNR is an excellent site for butterflies such as the common blue, brown argus, marbled white, Adonis and chalk hill blue as well as a number of grasshoppers and bush crickets, including the largest British species, the great green bush cricket. Bird species include the grey partridge, yellowhammer, linnet, skylark and some birds of prey including the wind-hovering kestrel.

Location

Lydden

About the area

Kent is home to the White Cliffs of Dover, an English icon that marks the point where the Kent Downs AONB stretches from the Surrey Hills down to the sea. Visitors can explore historic parklands, including Knole Park and Sir Winston Churchill’s former home at Chartwell, or beautiful nature reserves, such as the coppiced woodlands of Denge Wood and Earley Wood and the ancient fine chalk woodland of Yockletts Bank.