Park Gate Down - The Hector Wilks Reserve

Ancient chalk grassland with a very rich flora.

Opening times: Open at all times.
Best time to visit: May to August for orchids and wild flowers.

  • Dog walking

  • No facilities

Size: 7 hectares.

Parking information: Limited parking.

Bicycle parking: None.

Grazing animals: Cattle and sheep.

Walking trails: Rugged uneven slopes.

Dogs: On a lead.

There are Kissing gates, a slope and rambler gates. The Lower paths are level, the upper paths steep. The surface is slippery and muddy when wet.

About the reserve

This picturesque reserve renowned for its rare orchid varieties consists of seven hectares of ancient chalk grassland with scrub and fringing woodland on the east side of a dry valley.

It has attracted many feeding and breeding birds, including green and great-spotted woodpeckers amongst many others. The site is good for adder, common lizard and slow worm. It has a rich flora, including cowslip, primrose, violet, marjoram and salad burnet. It is also rich in orchids such as early-purple, common-spotted, pyramidal, green-veined, bee and monkey.

Volunteering

Volunteer work parties take place at Park Gate Down on Fridays undertaking habitat management. Be aware that essential management can sometimes be noisy and if you are concerned it may disturb your visit consider visiting on a different day. If you would like to get involved, please visit our volunteering page.

Contact Us

If you need to get in touch regarding Park Gate Down, for any reason, please contact:

Karen Weeks
Contact number: 01622 662012
Contact email: [email protected]