Reserves

Purn Hill

Grid ref: ST 332 573 / Area 6.1 hectares

A small south facing promontory forming part of the western Mendips with panoramic views of the Mendips, the Somerset Levels and Moors and the Bristol Channel

How to get there
Purn Hill is 1 km west of the village of Bleadon.

We encourage visitors to use environmentally friendly forms of transport wherever possible. Most of our reserves are easily accessible by bicycle, with many close to the National Cycle Network. Click here to view a location map of the reserve on the National Cycle Network website.

Access
Access to the site is along the West Mendip Way from Purn Lane. Car parking is restricted.

Wildlife and conservation
Purn Hill is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is made up from limestone grassland and mixed scrub. Much of the grassland is of national importance and is only found here and on a few other sites on the south facing slopes of the Mendips.


White Rock Rose
It is home to three plants that are nationally rare or threatened. These are honewort, Somerset hair-grass and white rock rose. The latter is only found at three other locations within the United Kingdom, Brean Down being one of the other sites.

Ladies bedstraw, dropwort, pale flax, yellow-wort and carline thistle can also be seen in many places across the site.

Further information
This site was purchased with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Hemmings Waste Management (through landfill tax credits), and the Alan Evans Memorial Trust.

 Image library  Reserves: Purn Hill  
 
 Reserve map  Purn Hill 1  Purn Hill 2  Honewort  
 Click on the thumbnails to enlarge in new window.

 

 

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