Dorset Wildlife Trust project: Kingcombe Meadows and Centre

  

It must have been around the same time I first visited Toller Porcorum that the nearby Kingcombe Farm was coming up for sale.

The farm was part of the lands which made up the Lower Kingcombe estate, which had been granted to Lord Sandwich by Henry VIII. It had never been on the market until 1985, following the death of the then owner Arthur Walbridge. At this point the 640 acre (259 hectare) farm and buildings were semi derelict, the heavy clay land had never been improved. These wet meadows, sunken lanes, and billowing hedge country were known for its species rich diversity, it provided a unique natural habitat which was, despite much of it being a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), at risk of agricultural improvement. 

Despite conservation bodies best efforts to secure enough funding the purchase the farm, it was bought privately and then re-marketed as fifteen smaller lots in 1987. The call went out once again and after what would today be known as crowdfunding several of the lots totalling 300 or so acres came into the ownership of Dorset Wildlife Trust [DWT]. Likeminded individuals additionally secured other lots and in the intervening years further land has come into the DWT remit. Today the Kingcombe Meadows National Nature Reserve covers almost 450 acres (180 hectares).

That is the potted history of the site, somewhere I've passed by many times but never properly visited. Until now, making this the fifth reserve to visit this year.

I had not planned to visit this part of west Dorset this early in the year, however on reading the latest DWT members magazine an article mentioned the lesser known areas of Kingcombe which were especially worth a visit in early spring. The sun shone brightly, the forecast heralded the warmest day of the year, my wife and I headed down the M5 where after a cup of tea we headed off to the first of those areas mentioned in the magazine, Neal's Hill. It is a steep climb.

Exiting the Centre we first had to cross over the River Hooke. In reality no more than a wide stream, this wonderfully atmospheric river provides a soundscape to the valley. I did not see any fish under the bridge but in a calm area away from the eddying water a large number of pond skater (Gerris spp.) were, well less pond, more river skating. From here it is a short walk up the public lane before turning into Butt's lane which begins its ascent up the valley.

I simply love holloways, or sunken lanes if you prefer. There is something magical about them, many are those feet who have passed this way over the centuries, each footfall leaving an impression. As we walked up Butt's Lane it was also doing a fair impersonation of a running river. Run-off from the adjacent fields cascaded across the chalk and flint rubble we now found ourselves stumbling over. At various points 'mini-valleys', no more than a dozen or two feet long, luxuriant in ferns and mosses disgorged their tinkling water into the lane, as they had no doubt done for years. It made for a spectacular walk, which as the sun rose also made for a warm walk. The first bluebells were coming into flower, and primrose was everywhere. Brimstone butterflies too floated back and forth disturbed by our travels. 

Before too long the gate we looked for appeared and we entered Neal's Hill field, to be greeted by a peacock butterfly. Unfortunately, I don't know who Neal was, but this, the largest of five fields (the others being Five Acres North, Five Acres South, Neal's Ground and Wally Ground) which make up a rectangular outlier of the main reserve, provide absolutely breath-taking views. At our feet there was evidence of a rich wildflower grassland, from which cattle had only recently been removed, evident by the heavily pockmarked surface waiting to trip the unwary visitor.

Images can never replicate the views we see while standing a-top a hill, below us in the valley the whole of the Kingcombe reserve was visible in a wide arc. Around to the left of my vision the monumental hillfort of Eggardon dominated the south, and to the right the estates of Hooke and Mapperton completed the landscape. Behind,  stood an impressive beech tree clump. For southern England this felt an empty quiet landscape, and the arrival of a cronking raven to perch on one of the beech's confirmed this feeling. Interestingly there were few other birds about. I'd set my mind on seeing, or more likely hearing, a yellowhammer, but to no avail. A chaffinch, blackbird and a number of great tits provided the only song during our climb up. It was mid morning after all, maybe at dawn or dusk the bustle of territorial calls increases. Buff-tail and 'red' tailed bumblebees zoomed about and on the gorse, its flowers now dazzling in the sun, attracting a myriad of solitary bees to forage. 

We could have stayed here for a long time, a great place for a picnic and relax, but there was a lot more to see, so, we made our way back to the Centre and after a quick lunch in the lovely café, headed off to explore another of these afore mentioned least visited areas, Mary's Well Lane.

Walking here a very confiding goldcrest hopped through coppiced hazel, stopping regularly to sing. It made a welcome distraction for a number of minutes. Who Mary was I'm not sure (later research failed to uncover any facts) but this was yet another fabulous holloway. The lower half, like Butt's Lane, was a sparking rivulet burbling over flint rubble, higher up it narrowed into a muddy thoroughfare. Surprisingly above us sat a grey wagtail, some twenty or so feet above the path. It wasn't fazed by our passing underneath, presumably intent on foraging in and around the water running down the lane; there were a lot of insects on the wing on this warm afternoon.

The higher we climbed the more hazel dominated each side of the holloway. Some had been coppiced, some had been lain. In the bright sun during this visit the cross-over shadows in the bright light made for an atmospheric veil in which to look beyond into the wider landscape. In summer however, in full leaf, this would be a dark and mysterious tunnel to venture along, watched over no doubt by the dormice which this area is a stronghold to. For now though, primrose and bluebell dominated out attention.

Kingcombe Meadows is a large reserve, and materially different to the smaller reserves I have so far visited. Reaching the top of Mary's Well Lane it was around 1.30pm. We'd been walking up and down the valley for a couple of hours and really had only scratched the surface. Would we have enough time to make our way, in the opposite direction, to the Pound Plots and Redholm Coppice, the two other areas mentioned in that article of least visited areas. Possibly, though on reflection they could wait for another visit. I'd like to come back and stay here in one of their cottages, when a dawn or dusk walk would be simply wonderful.  

Thus as we returned to the centre a decision was made (not least as we fancied a flat walk). DWT's Powerstock Common was just a couple of miles away, as we're here in the area, why not make that the sixth reserve to visit? After all we had the whole afternoon ahead of us. 

We headed off. But that said, I absolutely loved being at Kingcombe, a place I've known of for decades, yet never visited until now. This is a lovely part of Dorset.

Date of Visit: Wednesday March 18th - approx. 10.30-13.30 (including lunch)

Species noted: Lesser celandine, primrose, bluebell, various ferns, lords and ladies (arum), dogs mercury, mosses, ivy, hazel in catkin, robin, chaffinch, blue and great tit, great spotted woodpecker, raven, buzzard, kestrel, grey wagtail, goldcrest, blackbird, chaffinch, beech, gorse, blackthorn, peacock and brimstone butterfly, buff tail bumble bee and 'red' tailed bumblebee, pond skater, solitary bees. Sadly no yellowhammer.