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Long Herdon and Grange Meadows

Location: Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire

Grid Reference: SP 648 203

Long Herdon and Grange Meadows are two adjacent hay meadows situated close to Marsh Gibbon in Buckinghamshire. Plantlife acquired Grange Meadow in 1991, while the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust is the owner of Long Herdon Meadow.

The two meadows form a flat expanse of grassland that lies alongside the River Ray and floods regularly in the winter. The meadows are cut for hay each summer, and are then grazed by cattle in the autumn.

Wildflowers at the reserve

WHAT TO SEE AND WHEN

May: ragged-robin, cuckooflower, green-winged orchid, meadow buttercup, adderstongue

June: meadow vetchling, yellow-rattle, lady's bedstraw, narrow-leaved water-dropwort, common meadow-rue

July: The hay is usually cut around the middle of July, but in the first two weeks of this month you can see late flowering meadow species such as black knapweed, meadow- sweet, pepper-saxifrage, greater spearwort, tubular water-dropwort and great burnet.

The wonderfully rich flora of this grassland is typical of unimproved hay meadows on seasonally flooded ground. They are also noted for their numbers of wintering birds including curlew, redshank and lapwings. A number of butterflies are also present, including marbled white, meadow brown, small heath and small skipper.

Directions

Click here to download a map of the reserve.


From the M40, take the A41 to Aylesbury and approximately 6 miles beyond Bicester turn left at Piddington to Marsh Gibbon (at the second sign to Marsh Gibbon). Park on the verge beyond the Grange Farm on the right, taking care not to obstruct gateways. Access to the meadows is then by foot, across the concrete yard and through the gate to the field.

The nearest train station is Bicester Town, which is 5 miles from the reserve.