DHBlog005 · An article by Robert Sharp
Fontmell and Melbury Downs
On the edge of the Chase, these spectacular reserves, which are owned by the National Trust and Dorset Wildlife Trust, are by far the largest in Dorset's share of the Chase. A full account of the flora is provided by Andrew Branson's article. The whole area is an SSSI and includes less well-known reserves such as Brandis Down.
Sovell Down
This pocket-handkerchief sized reserve owned by DWT is hiding just off the road between Gussage All Saints and Gussage St Michael. It includes a fair amount of chalk grassland but is a little under threat from encroaching scrub. The grassland is more typical of the Wiltshire chase with some Bromopsis erecta (Upright Brome), Avenula pubescens (Downy Oat-grass), and Helictochloa pratense (Meadow Oat-grass). The site also has a good reputation for roses, and when I square-bashed the site back in 2019 I noted Rosa micrantha (Small-flowered Sweet-briar) and Rosa squarrosa (Glandular Dog-rose).
Knowlton Church
This reserve is even smaller than Sovell Down and owned by English Heritage on account of the church remains. The church is surrounded by a neolithic henge earthwork, reputed by some to have been dug to keep the spirits in rather than out. Fortunately, the steep sides of the earthwork protect the grass from heavy footfall and over-zealous grass cutting. In this rough grass can be found Carex humilis (Spring Sedge), although only on the steepest bits where the grass is reasonably short, and Orobanche elatior (Knapweed Broomrape). There are plenty of other chalk-grassland favourites present. Why not combine a bit of history and botany by visiting here before heading down the road to Sovell Down?
Pentridge Down
Still on the chalk grassland, Pentridge Down is Dorset's little piece of Martin Down and well worth a visit. This is an SSSI and open access land but it is not a reserve as such. Its good quality unimproved grassland with Avenula pubescens (Downy Oat-grass), Briza media (Quaking Grass), Bromopsis erecta (Upright Brome), Cirsium acaule (Stemless Thistle), Poterium sanguisorba ssp. sanguisorba (Salad Burnet) and abundant Leontodon hispidus (Rough Hawkbit). The site lends itself to a circular walk from Pentridge village, just off the A354, the Salisbury to Blandford road.
Stubhampton Bottom
Walking up the footpath from Stubhampton into Ashmore Wood there is a field on the right-hand side that is unimproved chalk grassland at possibly its best. This is neither a reserve nor an SSSI and there is no access, so short of practising a little of that Cranborne leaping and creeping, you will have to admire the plants from the path, with the help of binoculars. Although some of the grassland is mesotrophic there are large areas covered by Leontodon hispidus (Rough Hawkbit), Carex flacca (Glaucous Sedge), Helianthemum nummularium (Common Rock-rose), Lotus corniculatus (Bird’s-foot-trefoil), Plantago media (Hoary Plantain), and many others. Studding the grassland, in late June at least, are plenty of Gymnadenia conopsea (Chalk Fragrant Orchid) and Anacamptis pyramidalis (Pyramidal Orchid).
Badbury Rings
This well-known and popular location, owned by the National Trust, is another patch of good quality chalk grassland with plenty of botanical interest. Its hardly a secret, however.
Blandford Camp
Not the actual camp but Race Down, which is just outside the fence on the eastern side of the camp. Race down is an SSSI and has open access. Its a bit unkempt but there are plenty of interesting calcicoles on show. We surveyed the site, including the camp itself back in late July 2019 for the BSBI Atlas 2020, and noted 148 species including Anacamptis pyramidalis (Pyramidal Orchid), Anthyllis vulneraria (Kidney Vetch), Asperula cynanchica (Squinancywort), Briza media (Quaking Grass), Carex humilis (Dwarf Sedge), and the beautiful Centaurium pulchellum (Lesser Centaury) along with many others. Access to Race Down is a little tricky, but possibly the easiest approach is to park in Tarrant Monkton and walk up the hill to Monkton Down. You may have to head south and round to the camp fence to get onto Race Down proper.
Woodland on the Chase
Although the Chase today gives the impression of being about big arable fields, there is still a lot of woodland: from Ashmore Wood in the north west, along the county border to Woodyates, and from Tarrant Rushton to Moor Critchel. Manswood marks the centre of the latter from which to explore Chetterwood and Oakhills Coppice, which is beautiful in the spring and contains a small SSSI. On the north east side of Cranborne, near Boveridge, is Burwood which contains conifer and broad-leaved plantations of various ages. Beyond Boveridge, up against the Wiltshire border are Boulsbury Wood and Martin Wood, both of which include patches of SSSI.
In addition to these more mature woods there are plenty of old hazel coppices, perhaps a remnant of the Chase before Disenfranchisement when coppicing was a way of life and people would travel for miles in the autumn to camp in the woods and harvest the nuts.
Water on the Chase
It's unsurprising that water is not a big feature on an area of land that is essentially a big block of chalk. The old Chase was largely defined by the rivers Stour, Nidder and Allen, but the Allen is really the only river on the Chalk and is unfortunately difficult to access. There is a short walk around New Town near Witchampton and a longer stretch near Critchel Lake to Didlington Mill. The river runs through Wimbourne St. Giles as well. The Crane is easily accessible just outside Cranborne in the small park at the back of Cranborne Manor. This is a typical Winterbourne river so don't visit in the summer when you are likely to be disappointed.
The River Tarrant is the other main waterway on the Chase and can be accessed in a number of places from Tarrant Crawford all the way to Tarrant Gunville. In a similar vein, the Gussage is accessible in a few places from Gussage All Saints to Gussage St Andrew's, although not very easily. Both are winterbournes and even when dry they still support local diversity.