Short birdwatching visit · Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
Blakehill Farm including Stoke Common Meadow
- Tier
- Good stop nearby
- Best season
- Bird season not specified by the source.
- Headline birds
- Whinchat · Curlew
- Parking
- Small entrance car park off B 4040; main gate and disabled car park close 5 pm.
- Hides
- Not stated by the operator
- Step-free
- Tarmac tracks suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs; accessible gate provision identified by the Trust.
Near Cricklade, Wiltshire
Blakehill Farm’s former military airfield has become an extensive hay-meadow and pasture reserve near Cricklade. Skylark, stonechat and whinchat are among the farmland birds named by the Trust. Remaining tarmac tracks provide a level way to explore the open landscape without crossing its sensitive grassland. Hay cutting and livestock grazing maintain the reserve’s meadow habitats. This entry covers Blakehill and its associated Stoke Common Meadow as one public visit. Dogs are not permitted because of livestock and ground-nesting birds. Although the reserve is described as open at all times, the main gate and disabled car park close at 5 pm.
Birds and seasons
- Curlew · Headline bird — Season not stated by the source Source for Curlew
- Short-eared Owl — Season not stated by the source Source for Short-eared Owl
- Whinchat · Headline bird — Season not stated by the source Source for Whinchat
- Skylark — Season not stated by source Source for Skylark
- Stonechat — Season not stated by source Source for Stonechat
Plan your visit
- Hides and viewpoints
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Paths
- Flat tarmac tracks through open grassland; keep to the public routes.
- Toilets
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Parking
- Small entrance car park off B 4040; main gate and disabled car park close 5 pm.
- Dogs
- No dogs permitted because of livestock and ground-nesting birds.
- Access notes
- Tarmac tracks suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs; accessible gate provision identified by the Trust.
- Step-free access
- Tarmac tracks suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs; accessible gate provision identified by the Trust.
Getting there: Blakehill is signposted off the B 4040 Malmesbury Road between Minety and Cricklade. Use the entrance car park and check the gate arrangement before setting out. National Cycle Network Route 45 connects from Cricklade.
Sources
Social preview: original typographic artwork by Does Your Duck Quack.
Nearby special trips
- Highnam Woods · 24.6 straight-line miles
- Snelsmore Common Country Park · 27.6 straight-line miles
- Greenham and Crookham Commons · 31.3 straight-line miles
Continue birding nearby
Nearest full guide: WWT Slimbridge, 23.1 miles away in a straight line.
- Lower Moor · 4.2 miles in a straight line
- Ravensroost Wood · 4.2 miles in a straight line
- Whelford Pools · 7.6 miles in a straight line