Walk 24 – Guided Nature & Conservation Walk Around Coulters Dean Nature Reserve
DATE: Wednesday 24 May 2023
TIME: 15:00
START LOCATION: Buriton Village Hall Car Park
POST CODE/GRID REF: GU31 5RX / SU737 201
DISTANCE: 3.5/4 miles
DURATION: 2.5 hours
Melanie will guide you on a walk to the Coulters Dean Nature Reserve above Buriton’s chalk pits. This 4 hectare reserve is one of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s smallest sites.
Small, but perfectly formed Coulters Dean is home to small blue butterflies, green hairstreaks and chalkhill blues. The chalk grassland is spectacular in the late spring, with beautiful drifts of colour from a carpet of wildflowers, including early purple, fragrant, pyramidal and greater butterfly orchid. If we are lucky, we might find the interestingly named cheese snail, so called because its shell resembles a round of cheese.
The car park is very close to the 5 Bells pub, so why not end your walk with a leisurely drink or meal in their garden.
It is recommended that you bring a hand lens/magnifying glass/good camera and/or download the free plant ID app ‘Seek’ on your phone.
This walk is not suitable for children or dogs.
Walk Key
Walk Pace
Gentle
Walk Grade
Varying landscape with some more challenging slopes. Suitable for keen walkers or anyone who is reasonably active
Bring refreshments
Circular walk
No Dogs
Walk Leader
Melanie Oxley is a local botanist, ecologist and wildlife campaigner and a founder member of Plantlife, the wild plant charity. She has worked with not-for-profit groups and developers to try and secure the best outcomes for wildlife. Now retired, she assists local groups including the Petersfield Society and the Petersfield Physic Garden and is a Trustee of Petersfield Climate Action Network. She is also a Wilder Garden Champion with the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.
