Introducing the Mendip National Nature Reserve (NNR) – part of the King’s Series of new National Nature Reserves. This new ‘super’ NNR covers over 1,400 hectares of land between Brean Down by Weston-super-Mare, across the south-facing grasslands and woodlands of the Mendip Hills National Landscape, to the eastern side of Wells.
The Mendip NNR incorporates two existing NNRs: Ebbor Gorge and Rodney Stoke, into a hugely increased landscape-scale reserve. With a series of archipelago sites, it stretches from Tor Woods in England’s smallest City of Wells, across the southern slopes and plateau of the Mendip Hills, ending at Brean Down, a promontory stretching out into the Severn Estuary. The second of the King’s Series of National Nature Reserves, it includes iconic sites such as Cheddar Gorge and Crook Peak, as well as many smaller, lesser-known but fabulously nature-rich sites. Visit Natural England’s NNR page for a full list of the sites and more information.
The Mendip NNR is most important for its large stretches of limestone grasslands, ancient wooded ravines, and stunning geology. It has ‘champion species’ such as adder, greater horseshoe bat, hazel dormouse and skylark, as well as rare plants such as the Cheddar pink.
Joining up 1,413 hectares of land managed for nature conservation, the NNR links ecologically important sites along the popular walking route of The Mendip Way. More than 400 hectares will be land that has not previously been managed primarily for conservation.
