North Meadow National Nature Reserve, Wiltshire
★★★★★
Large, seasonally flooded hay meadow between the rivers Thames and Churn, containing abundant wildflowers, including thousands of the rare snakeshead fritillary
Photo Tour (12 images)
Management
Location
North side of Cricklade, along High Street; SN6 6JL
North Meadow is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve, on the north side of Cricklade in Wiltshire; an unusually large, undivided hay meadow of 61 acres, between two rivers, the Thames and the Churn.
The grassland here is subject to regular flooding during winter and has for centuries been maintained as common grazing pasture, not subject to fertilisers or ploughing or draining, which has resulted in an unusually rich variety of plants and insects; in particular the meadow is a noted site for the otherwise rare snakeshead fritillary, with upwards of half a million plants here, representing 80% of the UK population.
Such lowland hay meadows, seasonally inundated, known as lammas land, were once quite common across the country, but the majority were drained, used to raise crops; North Meadow is a rare survivor. Others include Lower Moor Farm and Lugg Meadow. North Meadow has since the 14th century been managed by the Cricklade Court Leet, the Manorial Court for the Hundred and Borough of Cricklade.
The site is easily accessed from High Street in Cricklade, and is ringed by a 1.8 mile loop path.
The Meadow
North Meadow is completely flat, elevation around 260 feet, and is 0.9 miles across at its widest extent. The River Thames forms the southwest boundary, with the smaller River Churn to the northeast, while other streams and ditches cross parts of the interior. Flooding is more likely across the northern reaches. A small part of the meadow, to the northwest, was once bordered by the Wilts and Berks Canal, the North Wilts Branch, until its closure in 1914. The course is still evident as an overgrown ditch, plus remnants of an aqueduct over the River Thames. The meadow loop links with other paths, along the Thames and south to Cricklade.
Wildflowers
The fritillaries are fairly evenly distributed across all parts of the meadow, and there are plenty of the less-common white-flowered variety in addition to the usual red-purple. Peak blooming is the middle to end of April. A range of other wildflowers grow in the meadow, most abundant the cuckoo flower, while a different plant selection can be found in the more permanently wet areas, the ditches, streams and riverbanks.
