Dunscombe Bottom

Orchids at Dunscombe Bottom

Orchids at Dunscombe Bottom, Wiltshire. Credit: Sarah Marshall.

This stretch of chalk grassland curves across the steep side of a combe (valley) near Knook, on the edge of Salisbury Plain.

Location

Warminster
Wiltshire
BA12 0JF

OS Map Reference

ST941431

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A static map of Dunscombe Bottom

Know before you go

Size
5 hectares
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Entry fee

Free
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Parking information

From the A36 Warminster to Salisbury road turn on to B390 at Knook Army Camp. Immediately after the camp pull into a small layby on the left at entrance to reserve. There is parking for two cars on verge.

Bicycle parking

None

Grazing animals

None

Access

There is no footpath and the walk takes you over rough grass on a steep slope.

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 Parsonage Down National Nature Reserve (8 miles), a’Beckett’s Vineyard (8 miles), Stonehenge (11 miles), Prescombe Down National Nature Reserve (11 miles).

About the reserve

This stretch of chalk grassland curves across the steep side of a combe (valley) near Knook, on the edge of Salisbury Plain. As you walk over the rough grass, enjoy the far-reaching views.

Before it came to us in 2009 the land had never been fertilised or improved and had always been used for grazing, which we continue to do. Between September and February we graze with mules, a special cross of hardy lowland sheep, to take the summer growth down to a short turf. This allows spring sunlight to reach the wild flowers just as they are ready to grow. We also graze with cattle – their feet poach (disturb) the soil. This kick-starts the growth of seeds such as horseshoe vetch - food plant of the Adonis blue.

If you visit in the summer the land is a patchwork of colour from orchids, early gentian, knapweed, rockroses and eyebright. The bluish tones of milkwort add a cool note to the mix. The greater butterfly orchid grows here. Its pale vanilla-coloured flowers release a sweet smell, stronger at night, which attracts moths. You can also see marbled white, Adonis blue and small blue butterflies.

Be careful not to trip over the dozens of anthills as you enter the reserve. They are an indicator of ancient, undisturbed chalk grassland. Each mound is created by a single colony of yellow meadow ants, carrying soil to the surface as they create a network of galleries below ground where they raise their young.

Contact us

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
Contact number: 01380 725670

Environmental designation

County Wildlife Site

Map of Dunscombe Bottom

Map of Dunscombe Bottom
Sheep in the countryside

Chalk downland landscape with mixed farming, Cranborne Chase, Wiltshire, England, UK - Guy Edwardes/2020VISION

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