Upper Waterhay

Snakeshead fritillaries at Upper Waterhay

Snakeshead fritillaries at Upper Waterhay. Credit: Eleanor Dodson

Upper Waterhay

This stunning wildflower meadow is a stronghold of the snakeshead fritillary.

Location

Upper Waterhay
Cricklade
Wiltshire
SN6 6QY

OS Map Reference

OS map 169 Grid ref: SU068936

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A static map of Upper Waterhay

Know before you go

Size
3 hectares
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Entry fee

Free
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Parking information

At Chelworth Upper Green crossroads, about one mile from edge of Cricklade, turn right up minor road towards Ashton Keynes. Follow this for about one mile. The access track to reserve is on right immediately after Manor Farm, at Waterhay Car Park.
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Bicycle parking

None
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Grazing animals

Yes
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Access

Access arrangements for this site are under review.
Not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.

Dogs

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See our FAQ's for more information

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

Spring and summer. Nearby attractions include Cotswold Water Park (1 mile), Keynes Park (2 miles), North Meadow National Nature Reserve (3 miles), Roman Amphitheatre, Cirencester (5 miles).

About the reserve

This stunning wildflower meadow is a stronghold of the snakeshead fritillary, which in the 1950s was so common along the Thames Valley that they were picked and gathered by the armload. Sadly, they now survive only in a few protected places. Uniquely most of them here are creamy white, rather than the more common dark purple. 

We bought the reserve in 1970. A farmer grazes it with cattle during the autumn when fritillary bulbs are dormant. The cattle are removed in winter so that hay can grow. We cut the hay in early July after the flower seeds have ripened and dispersed.

See the bell-shaped flowers from mid-April. The colour palette of the meadow changes throughout the summer and includes the dark crimson heads of great burnet and the golden flowers of rough hawk’s-beard.

The reserve lies on the floodplain of the River Thames and each year the winter floods enrich the meadows by depositing alluvial silt over them. Wetland plants thrive - marsh marigold, ragged robin, water forget-me-not and the mauve lady’s smock - larval food plant of green-veined white and orange-tip butterflies. In spring mayflies, with their three distinctive curving tails, dance in the air. Summer brings clouds of common blue damselflies. In their wake come reed buntings, long-tailed tits and sedge warblers; while during flooding snipe, curlew and gadwall forage in the mud. You may be lucky enough to see the rare marsh harrier and bittern, as well as the more common fox and roe deer.

Contact us

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
Contact number: 01380 725670