Cockey Down

Cockey Down

Cockey Down nature reserve in Wiltshire. Credit: Jess Voremberg

This chalk downland offers superb views of Salisbury Cathedral and the surrounding countryside.

Location

Laverstock
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP4 6DR

OS Map Reference

SU173320

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A static map of Cockey Down

Know before you go

Size
7 hectares
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Entry fee

Free
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Parking information

No car park. It is possible to park near the Church Lane/Bishops Mead roundabout and take the bridleway on the opposite side of the road that leads past Frank W Murphy Limited straight up the hill to the reserve.

Bicycle parking

None. Follow National Cycle Route The Golden Way to Laverstock. From here, you'll need to follow the footpath beside Duck Inn (on foot).

Grazing animals

No

Access

Open access. Not suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs.

Dogs

On a lead

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 Salisbury Cathedral (3 miles), Heale House and Garden (4 miles), Salisbury Racecourse (5 miles), Stonehenge (7 miles).

About the reserve

This chalk downland, offers superb views of Salisbury Cathedral spire and the surrounding countryside.

Cockey Down is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. It has a rich variety of chalk grassland flowers because it has not been ‘improved’ by chemical fertilisers and because a long history of grazing has kept the coarser grasses in check. There is evidence of Early Bronze Age and Iron Age occupation nearby and the substantial lynchets (terraces) indicate that most of the down was ploughed in the late prehistoric and Roman period.

It is best visited in spring and summer to see orchids, including fragrant and pyramidal, and other flowers such as the nationally scarce field fleawort. The nationally scarce bastard toadflax grows on the steeper slopes, its white star-shaped flowers belying its parasitic nature. Its roots attach themselves to those of nearby plants to draw nutrients and water. A metallic-blue shield bug lives on its sap, found here in late summer.

You can see butterflies such as chalkhill blue, marbled white and dark green fritillary, but keep an eye out for the large, brown-and-yellow-banded hornet robber-fly. Yellowhammers, linnets and willow warblers inhabit the scrub, while meadow pipits and skylarks nest in the long grass. Listen for their song. Raptors such as buzzards, kestrels and sparrowhawks hunt over the down.

Contact us

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
Contact number: 01380 725670

Environmental designation

County Wildlife Site
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

Map of Cockey Down

Map of Cockey Down