Wonderful flowery meadows in the heart of the Golden Valley.

Notable plants

    Bee Orchid, Lesser Centaury and Dyer’s Greenweed

      Features

      Lovely meadows full of wildflowers and butterflies. They are part of the local habitat resource, supporting regionally important populations of threatened butterflies. A fine assemblage of grassland species breeds on the meadows, including Grizzled Skipper and Common Blue. The flowery sward also provides important nectar supplies for the threatened fritillaries breeding in the bracken and scrub habitats on the adjoining Common.

      The meadows are maintained through cutting and grazing.

      Area: 5 hectares

      Map reference: SO385295

      Directions

      Ewyas Harold village is just off the A365 between Abergavenny and Hereford at SO387286.

      • Using road-side parking near the church or school, follow Church lane and Dark Lane to the footpath access points onto Ewyas Harold Common
      • Follow the paths and tracks up onto the Common’s open central plateau, where the grass and bracken is mown
      • From here, the reserve’s entrance can be seen on the west side of the common - through a steel kissing gate (yellow arrow on leaflet map) in a hedgerow
      • Please note that vehicles are not allowed onto the common
      • Google maps

      Notable nearby sites

      Site access and safety

      The paths up onto the common from the village are moderately steep in places and will be slippery and muddy when wet. The tracks and open parts in the middle of Common are largely level. Most of the reserve’s meadows are easily accessible, but the site is divided by a steep stream valley.

      Most ticks are little more than an irritation, but a few can transmit Lyme disease, a rare and potentially serious illness which is treatable with antibiotics if diagnosed early. It is therefore important to be informed and take some simple precautions

      Contact

      Natalie Norton, Midlands Landscape Officer

      • Tel: 07485372199
      • Email: @email