Restricted Access Nature Reserves

Nearest town: Ashurst, west Hampshire
Description: Tucked behind a private woodland, these six
hectares of ancient meadows support a large number of flowering
plants and insects. Bartley Water runs along the reserve keeping
the meadows damp in summer, which ensures that many scarce
plants continue to flourish.
Special wildlife: The meadows host a wealth of plants and
insects, including butterfly orchids.

Nearest town: Headley, north Hampshire
Description: Once quarried for gravel, these seven hectares of woodland and grassland have become colonised by important wildlife, including reptiles and orchids.
Special wildlife: It has a population of black adders, thousands of green-winged orchids in late spring and interesting lichens.

Nearest town: Linwood, west Hampshire
Description: This woodland reserve, a gift from Gladys Haines,
is a mixture of oak, birch and beech glades with areas of wet
heath and meadows, beside the Dockens Water. This rich blend of
habitats has created perfect conditions for a variety of wildlife.
Special wildlife: In late spring and early summer, enjoy the
profusion of wildflowers including marsh thistle, violets, woodsorrel
and wood sage.

Nearest town: Lyndhurst, west Hampshire
Description: A small, three hectare reserve that sits within the
enclosed farmland landscape of the New Forest. With its mix of
woodland, mire and acid grassland, the site contains a variety of
interesting plants including sharp-flowered rush, marsh bedstraw
and lady fern.
Special wildlife: This hidden corner of the New Forest contains
a fascinating range of species and habitats.

Nearest town: Old Burghclere, north Hampshire
Description: Like many former quarries, this five hectare site
has been transformed into a nature reserve as its steep sides of
rough, chalky ground provide an ideal habitat for many rare plants
and butterflies.
Special wildlife: There is an interesting mix of plants that
are not found on many sites, such as red hemp-nettle, white
helleborine, fly orchid, hairy rockcress and kidney vetch.

Nearest town: Tadley, north Hampshire
Description: This 10 hectare grassland was nurtured, carefully
managed and passed on as a legacy to the Trust by Ron Ward.
A survivor from yesteryear, this traditional meadow is
exceptionally rich in wildflowers.
Special wildlife: A multitude of plants are found here,
including dyer’s greenweed, yellow rattle, saw-wort, field
scabious, quaking grass, southern marsh-orchid and common
spotted-orchid hybrids.

Nearest town: Liphook, north-east Hampshire
Description: At just two hectares this pocket-sized wet heath
and mire, surrounded by pine and birch woodland, is part of
Woolmer Forest, and was a gift from Lord Selborne.
Special wildlife: It is one of only a few sites in Hampshire
where the water-loving cranberry grows – a scarce species in
southern England. 

Nearest town: Southwick, south east Hampshire
Description: A tranquil meadow and woodland set in farmland
and semi-natural ancient woodland. The 14 hectares comprise
seven small, traditional and diverse meadows, bordered by scrub
and woodland, and traversed by a river.
Special wildlife: Butterflies are plentiful in the summer,
particularly silver-washed fritillary, and large numbers of other
insects occur at the site, including a wide range of hoverflies.

Nearest town: Portchester, south east Hampshire
Description: This one hectare island is one of the few
undeveloped areas of Portsmouth Harbour.
Special wildlife: Fine examples of saltmarsh, plant-rich shingle
and an important high tide roost for wading birds. Although you
cannot access this protected reserve, you can view it from the
Portchester coastline. 

Nearest town: St Lawrence, Isle of Wight
Description: This unusual two hectare reserve is a sycamore and
ash woodland growing at the foot of a rugged cliff. The woodland,
a gift from Connie Pelham, is sheltered and south-facing, and
the whole area is on the largest rotational landslip in Western
Europe.
Special wildlife: It has an unusual ‘double coastline’ effect as
the result of a massive cliff-slump, spectacular views out to sea,
and hosts several species of bat. This reserve is best viewed from
High Hat – a look-out point above it.

Nearest town: Ryde, Isle of Wight
Description: This small, traditional hazel coppice of four
hectares comes into its own in the spring when many wildflowers
attract a variety of butterflies.
Special wildlife: In spring the ground is carpeted with primrose
and wood anemone, followed by bluebells and narrow-leaved
lungwort, commonly known as Jerusalem cowslip with beautiful
blue and purple flowers.