Hambledon Hill National Nature Reserve

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Overview

Hambledon Hill NNR, with its sinuously contoured Iron Age hillfort northwest of Blandford, is an exceptional place for wildlife. The unimproved grasslands are home to wildflowers like the rare early gentian, found on the shallower soils of the western slopes, and the delicate white flowers of meadow saxifrage on the deeper soils on top of the hillfort. In late May, the slopes are covered with the vivid yellow of horseshoe vetch and the pinks and blues of milkwort. In midsummer, pink pyramidal orchids and bee orchids come into flower alongside many other plants, including squinancy wortand lady’s bedstraw. Late summer flowers include the delicate white spirals of autumn lady’s tresses, and mauve devil’sbit scabious. In early summer, Hambledon supports a good range of butterflies, such as dingy skipper and grizzled skipper. Two of Britain’s rarer butterflies, the chalk hill blue and the Adonis blue, occur on the south and southwest-facing slopes, their caterpillars feeding on the tiny horseshoe vetch. Skylarks soar above the hill alongside buzzards, linnets and yellowhammers among the scrub.

Location

Gold Hill

About the area

Dorset is made up of rugged coastlines, high chalk downlands and a chain of picturesque villages and seaside towns that make up Britain’s Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, noted for its layers of shale and numerous fossils embedded in the rock. Hidden gems of Dorset can be found down winding, country lanes that lead to snug villages hidden from view.