Reserves

Walborough

Grid ref: 316 579 / Area: 20.3 hectares

This reserve situated just south of Uphill village has salt marsh and limestone grassland with rare plants and insects.

How to get there
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.

Alternatively, follow signs to Uphill village from the southern end of Weston-super-Mare. Uphill leads towards the south end of Weston beach. Head towards the beach but park near the large sluice gates on the left or by Uphill Way in the lay-by. Walk past the boatyard either along the metalled track or along the sea wall to reach the reserve.

Access
A surfaced path allows access to parts of the site for those who are less mobile. There is open access to the grassland areas but please keep off the salt marsh to avoid disturbance to birds.

Wildlife and conservation
The limestone grassland is an SSSI with an exceptionally rich flora including a number of nationally rare species. These include Somerset hair-grass and honewort. Also here are green-winged and early purple orchid, autumn lady's tresses and abundant cowslips. The best areas of grassland are on the steeper slopes. The area is important for butterflies including brown argus, grizzled and dingy skipper and grayling.

The salt marsh has a number of nationally scarce plants including sea barley, slender hare's-ear and sea clover on its upper reaches, some of them on the sea wall. Patches of sea-lavender add a splash of colour in the late summer. It is intended to allow the sea to once again inundate the low lying field behind the Victorian sea wall and expand the area of salt marsh.

The Axe estuary holds good numbers of wildfowl and waders during autumn and winter including redshank, dunlin, shelduck and black-tailed godwit. Birds wintering on the salt marsh include skylark, rock and meadow pipit, linnet and, occasionally, twite.

Further information
The adjacent Uphill Local Nature Reserve has excellent limestone grassland and is well worth a visit. The Walborough reserve was purchased and managed through support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Esm¯e Fairbairn Charitable Trust, Woodspring District Council, Avon County Council and public donation.