Butser Hill National Nature Reserve
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Overview
Butser Hill NNR is a large area of chalk grassland within the Queen Elizabeth Country Park run by Hampshire County Council, near Horndean. The main habitats in the reserve include woodland and lowland grassland, and nearby is the Butser Ancient Farm – a unique experimental archaeological site that displays ongoing reconstructions of Iron Age buildings, prehistoric crops and rare farm breeds. The slopes of Butser Hill are home to an interesting community of butterflies and moths including the Duke of Burgundy, chalk hill blue and silver-spotted skipper. During the summer months it is a great place to enjoy skylarks displaying and singing high above the meadows. The woodland parts of the reserve host a range of mammals, such as roe and fallow deer, fox, badger, stoat and weasel, and a fantastic variety of reptiles can also be found here, including Britain’s only poisonous snake, the adder, the slow worm, common lizard and newt.
About the area
Hampshire’s varied landscape of hills and heaths, downlands and forests, valleys and coast are without rival in southern England. Hike across the chalk downland of the north Hampshire ‘highlands’, meander along peaceful paths through unspoilt river valleys of the Test, Itchen, Avon and Meon, or explore the lonely salt marshes and the beautiful medieval forest and heathland of the New Forest.
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Nearby places to stay
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Nearby places to stay
The White Hart, South Harting
The White Hart in South Harting is a 16th-century inn with an abundance of character. Within the South Downs National Park & well located for anyone walking the South Downs Way. Located...
The Thomas Lord
The Thomas Lord is named after the founder of Lord's Cricket Ground who is buried in the nearby churchyard. It’s a charming country pub with delightful gardens in the lovely village of ...
Wallops Wood Cottages
Award winning converted cottages in tranquil location in the South Downs National Park, Wallops Wood is a year-round base for walking, cycling and sightseeing. The cottages incorporate ...
Teal Cottage
As well as being dog friendly, Teal Cottage offers guests accessible holiday accommodation. Bring the whole family, including the dog, and make memories to treasure at Wallops Wood. Tea...
Keepers & The Old Stables at West Marden Farm
Keepers is the perfect place to relax and recharge in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in a Sussex downland village. Located on a working arable farm, the property is perfectly pla...
Barley Cottage at West Marden Farm
Barley Cottage is a single-storey property located at the entrance to a beautiful traditional Sussex farm. Fully refurbished, guests can enjoy the original features of its beamed and fl...
Tower Farm Garden Holiday Lets
Once forming the stable block of the nearby manor house, these beautifully restored stables have been exquisitely transformed into elegant guest cottages. Each apartment has been though...
The White Lion
The White Lion is a traditional 17th-century country pub in the beautiful Meon Valley. The comfortably renovated rooms in the Grade II listed stables and coach house sympathetically ble...
