Bay Meadows

An important wildlife corridor between Ogbourne Maisey and Marlborough.

Location

Tin Pit

Marlborough

Wiltshire

SN8 1ER

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gobbling.suffer.grinning

Know before you go

Size

12 hectares

Entry fee

Free

Parking information

There is no car park on site. Park in town and walk or get the 217 bus to North View Place or Newby Acre.

Walking trails

From Bay Meadows you can connect with many different sites such as to the old railway which heads all the way into Swindon, via the Silk on the Downs, Stonebridge Wild River Reserve, or back in to town.

Access

Coming straight off the A346 on to North View place, follow the road down to where it meets Newby Acre and Bay water Road. Follow the steep tarmac path behind the railings to an area of grass. From here continue east and the access is through the council land where you reach the river and turn left until you reach Bay Meadows.

Currently there is no access to the Byway and the mentioned circular walks until the permanent signs have been installed.
The main access to this reserve will be through a new housing estate which is not yet completed, due to finish in April 2024.

Dogs

On a lead

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times.

Best time to visit

Spring and summer

About the reserve

Bay Meadows is at the heart of an amazing chalk landscape, sitting within the North Wessex Downs AONB. Wiltshire Wildlife Trust purchased the site in 2022, safeguarding rapidly declining habitats and saving it from the threat of change of use that would have destroyed its value for wildlife.

The River Og, a typical Wiltshire chalk stream that provides a home for a many species, runs through the reserve, making it an important wildlife corridor between Ogbourne Maisey and Marlborough. Bay Meadows is both a nature park for everyone to visit and a nature reserve for wildlife, comprising 30 acres of restored water meadows.

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust restored and enhanced the floodplain meadows into better habitat for mammals, birds, fish and pollinators. Bay Meadows is home to otters, kingfishers and wild brown trout. It is also one of the few remaining refuges of water voles in the country.

The Nature Park offers space to connect with nature, unwind, and enjoy peaceful surroundings.

Visitors can observe wildlife within the reserve, and enjoy the space afforded for adventures such as den building, logs for climbing, pond dipping in the chalk stream, and a willow arch and bug hotels for exploration. Several mown areas within the meadow provide places to relax, have a picnic, or simply take in the beautiful scenery.

History of Bay Meadows

King John’s fishpond was constructed in 1204 to flood the fields as far as the parking Bay at the northern most end. This was used to stock fish to supply Marlborough castle. Parts of the dam still exist as a Scheduled Monument further down river on council land.

Bay Meadows was thought to be a main trading route from nearer the source of the Og at Draycot, near Chiseldon a farm complex with a bath suite and a grain dryer as well as a boat hook discovered in the hypocaust as well as loading structures at the river. To Cunetio, Mildenhall a Roman fort and small town, centre of local administration and trading centre.

The Og was canalised and would have enabled small boats to transport grain downstream to Mildenhall and the Kennet. This area was a bread basket in the Roman era.