The Sturts North

Seven differing fields lying in the River Wye flood plain

Location

The Sturts North Nature Reserve
Letton
Herefordshire
HR3 6NY

OS Map Reference

SO 338 482
A static map of The Sturts North

Know before you go

Size
21 hectares
P

Parking information

There is a small car park at the northern entrance.

Grazing animals

Seasonal livestock grazing.

Walking trails

The reserve is fairly level walking and easily accessible, but avoid trampling the vegetation in the wetter areas and keep to the field margins while the hay is growing in summer. Conditions underfoot can be wet, even in summer.

Access

There is no wheelchair access at this reserve.

Dogs

On a lead

When to visit

Opening times

Dawn to dusk

Best time to visit

All year round - but are subject to regular winter flooding

About the reserve

  Lying in the River Wye flood-plain, the seven fields that make up Sturts North are subject to regular winter flooding. The grassland communities in Wet Meadow and Sheep Colt Meadow are particularly noteworthy, with damp hollows and drier ridges forming a mosaic, each with their own micro-habitat and species. . One of the most important of these is the characteristic and attractive great burnet and meadow foxtail grass which dominates Sheep Cott Meadow. Great burnet is a rare plant in the county but occurs throughout the Sturts North reserve.

In autumn, a wide variety of fungi appear on the reserve. In particular, look out for waxcaps in early November - 28 species are known, including pink, snowy and scarlet waxcap, making the reserve a nationally important site.

Mire and swamp communities occur in the most low-lying sections of Lane Meadow, Far Pole Moor, Long Meadow and Wet Meadow. They support many of the species found within the wet grassland but in addition others which give them their distinctiveness. These include floating-sweet grass, reed canarygrass, sharp flowered rush, meadowsweet, yellow iris and angelica.

The Sturts North holds a number of ponds, many of which may have been formed around 22,000 years ago as glaciers retreated from Herefordshire at the end of the last Ice Age. There are remarkable and highly important communities of aquatic invertebrates such as ruddy and common darter dragonfly, large red damselfly and crawling water beetle.

The hedges surrounding the reserve are old and species-rich, containing three species of elm, field maple, dogwood and spindle. These provide good habitat for birds such as yellowhammer, long-tailed tits and, occasionally, lesser whitethroat.

Contact us

Lewis Goldwater

Environmental designation

Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
Map showing Sturts East, North and South

Map showing Sturts East, North and South

Wildflower meadow of yellow and white flowers with tall hedgerow in background and hills beyond

Davies Meadow Nature Reserve (Paul Lloyd)

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