Lower Moor

Snakeshead Fritillaries

Snakeshead Fritillaries at Clattinger Farm in Wiltshire. Credit: Stephen Davis.

A mosaic of three lakes, two brooks, ponds and wetland scrapes linked together by woodland and meadows.

Location

Cricklade
Wiltshire
SN16 9TW

OS Map Reference

OS map 169 grid ref: SU007939

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A static map of Lower Moor

Know before you go

Size
126 hectares
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Entry fee

Free
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Parking information

There is parking at the visitor centre.

Bicycle parking

Yes. Bike racks are available at the cafe. Leave National Cycle Route 48 at Oaksey and follow Somerford Keynes road to reserve entrance.

Grazing animals

Yes

Access

Wheelchair access to one bird hide and across the boardwalk to Mallard Lake. From this point, footpath can be muddy.

Dogs

On a lead

See our FAQ's for more information

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Facilities

Visitor centre
Bird hides
Toilets
Shop
Cafe/refreshments
Accessible toilet
Disabled parking

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times.
The Dragonfly Cafe is open Wednesdays to Sundays 10am - 4pm.

Best time to visit

All year round. Come in late April to see thousands of delicately patterned snakeshead fritillaries.

About the reserve

Lower Moor opened in 2007 and is the gateway to Clattinger Farm, Oaksey Moor Farm Meadow and Sandpool nature reserves. 

There is an on-site cafe, open Wednesdays to Sundays 10am - 4pm.

From Lower Moor you can walk into the other reserves and explore a landscape of fascinating contrasts. The reserve is a mosaic of three lakes, two brooks, ponds and wetland scrapes linked together by boardwalks, ancient hedges, woodland and meadows.

Clattinger Farm is a Coronation Meadow. Clattinger's richness as a wildlife habitat is a lasting tribute to its previous owners, who farmed the land traditionally and did not use any artificial fertilisers - in fact its the only lowland farm in Britain known to have received absolutely no agricultural chemicals. Today, the meadow is considered the finest remaining example of enclosed lowland grassland in the UK, and is of international importance for its hay meadow wild flowers. 

The lakes were created by gravel extraction in the 1970s. Mallard Lake is a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its distinctive aquatic plants, which include rare stoneworts. The Mallard Flyfishers Syndicate leases the private trout fly fishing rights on Mallard lake from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. 

The visitor centre is a resource for education groups and volunteers and a replica Iron Age hut is a focus for our educational activities.

Large populations of wildfowl swim in the lakes - great crested grebe, teal, shoveler duck and goosander to name a few. You can enjoy the birdlife from hides at Swallow Pool and Cottage Lake – the latter is accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

Water voles and otters use Flagham Brook. On sunny days see if you can spot the emperor, southern hawker and downy emerald dragonflies. When it rains heavily we move our livestock off Clattinger’s incredibly valuable but wet wildflower meadows to drier pastures at Lower Moor and Sandpool where they can be housed.

Contact us

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
Contact number: 01380 725670

Environmental designation

County Wildlife Site
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

Map of Lower Moor

Map of Lower Moor

Events at Lower Moor

Dragonfly Cafe entrance

Visit the Dragonfly Café

Visit
Lakeside Care Farm

Lakeside Care Farm. Credit: Dean Sherwin

Lakeside Care Farm

Find out more
A lovely place to visit. The lakes and surrounding meadows have lots of wildlife and flowers. Paths are reasonably easy to walk on. Café now open and the cakes are delicious and the staff friendly and very informative.
Mary from Cirencester
Absolutely fantastic place, saw otters, a kingfisher, heron, cormorant, the cafe was lovely as was the soup and cakes
Christine from Tewkesbury
Volunteer

Volunteer, Aline Denton, cuts brambles and blackthorn as part of the farm's conservation management - Ross Hoddinott/2020VISION

Volunteer at Lower Moor

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