Open Meadows – Buckland in the Moor

The owners of five wildflower meadows around Buckland-in-the-Moor have joined to open their meadows for the afternoon.

For the active, you can walk between all five.

Visit the Village Hall first from 12.30pm and pick up a route plan.

There will be a display in the Village Hall with detailed directions and maps to all the meadows, as well as further information about each one.

Each meadow will have a sign on their field gate.

There is ample parking along the road next to the Village Hall (Grid ref. SX720 732) and St Peter’s Church.

Teas: There will be teas available between 2-5pm in the Village Hall in aid of Friends of St Peter’s Church.

Please feel free to visit the beautiful church of St Peter’s and see the churchyard (few minutes walk from the village hall), where for the past 3 years an area of uncut grass has been left which now has a variety of wild plants. The grass is scythed and removed in late summer.

MEADOW SITES: 

Broady Meadow – Mary and Charles Staniland 

Grid ref. SX722 732

Description: Species-rich established meadow. Wide variety of flowers and grasses the whole summer including Southern Marsh and Greater Butterfly orchids in June. Home to many species of butterfly, moth, and insects. A further description is in the ‘Me and My Meadows’ section of the Moor Meadows website.

Directions: 100 yards through gate opposite Village Hall. Parking on road.

Old Farmhouse Meadows – Stuart and Susannah Palmer

Grid ref. SX724 739 No Parking. Walk from the Village Hall.

Description: Three acres of meadow, including wetland and pond, in its eighth year of conversion from horse paddock to wildflower meadow through land management. The first field (access from the road) is species-rich (including our first butterfly orchid last year), while the pond field, accessed through the first, is herb rich, with substantial yellow rattle, birds-foot trefoil, orchids, sneezewort and much more.

Directions: Half a mile walk up Elliots Hill from the Village Hall OR the same distance from the road at Pudsham Down via the bridleway past the DPA meadows. Enter meadow through a field gate on Elliots Hill adjacent to turn off to Bowden Farm.

Nutwells – Joanna Watters

Grid ref. (Top field) SX731 733 No Parking. 1 mile walk from Village Hall.

Description: Nutwells is 21 acres of pastureland in 3 fields, formally part of Bowden Farm. In the last decade it was heavily grazed by ponies. For the last 2 years it has been lightly grazed by cattle, sheep and ponies and cut for hay to encourage wildflowers and grasses. In Autumn 2018 the bottom field was sown with a yellow rattle based wild flower seed mix by Devon Wildlife Trust – results as yet unknown but should be visible in early June.

Directions: 1 mile walk from Buckland Village Hall up Elliots Hill (or half a mile from Old Farmhouse) taking the first right to Bowden Farm, and following the stony bridle path up the slight hill and into Nutwells fields through marked gate on the right. From here you can walk down the 3 steep fields (half mile) to the road at the bottom and walk 1 mile back along on the roadthrough Buckland in the Moor to the Village Hall.

Higher Pudsham Platt – Rebecca and Chris Gethin

Grid ref. SX719 743

Description: A small south facing permanent pasture field sheltered by tall hedges. In the past grazed by ponies, goats, caDle and sheep. It is now transitoning into a meadow, and over the last 3 years has only been grazed by 3-4 sheep over winter, with hay being cut late in the season. Yellow rattle sowed itself out of the blue three years ago and every year new plant species seem to emerge. Last year we had various species of butterfly: meadow brown, speckled wood, ringlet, peacock and some of the blues, green hairstreak and wall. In the unkempt hedge we often see gatekeepers.

Directions: Parking along the road at Higher Pudsham. Walk for 2 minutes up the stony track next to Pudsham Barn. Field entrance 2nd gate on left.

and also visit between 2pm-5pm…

Pudsham Meadows, near Buckland-in-the-Moor

Grid ref: SX727 745

These wonderful meadows are owned by the Dartmoor Preservation Association. In some years these established species-rich meadows contains over 3000 orchid spikes of four species: Heath spotted-orchid; Greater butterfly orchid, Southern marsh-orchid and Twayblade.

Directions: At SX727 745 on the road between Cold East Cross and Cockington. There is limited parking on the roadside adjacent to the site where the bridlepath emerges onto Pudsham Down. Alternatively, park at Buckland village hall and 1 mile walk up.

Refreshments: None

Other notes: DPA staff and volunteers will be present to show people round. Contact Hilary Marshall on 01409 211581 or hilmarshall@yahoo.co.uk for more information.