Seven Natural Wonders of the South

for BBC English Regions  

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NATURAL HISTORY
The Ridgeway runs along typical chalk downland.
In the summer Meadow Cranes Bill, Hawthorn, Milkwort, Wild Orchids, Rockroses, Cowslips, Birds Foot Trefoil, Silverweed, and Wild Thyme are to be found. (British Wild Flowers)

The casual walker will see signs of Moles, Brown Hares, Foxes, Badgers, Deer and Rabbits. Other more shy inhabitants are Stoats and Weasels.

HISTORIC
The Ridgeway runs from Avebury in Wiltshire for 85 miles (137km) through Berkshire, Oxfordshire, over The Thames at Goring and on to Ivinghoe Beacon in the Chilterns, where in becomes The Icknield Way and in part, Peddars Way.

A further 105 miles (168km) takes this ancient ‘Drove Road’ through Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and finally to the Norfolk coast.

Ancient routes such as The Ridgeway have been in use since Neolithic times. Armies, Pilgrims, Merchants, Labourers and Drovers have trodden these paths over the centuries.
These ‘Drove Roads’ were required to be passable for as much of the year as possible.
Regular use of The Ridgeway continued with the movement of cattle between summer and winter pastures.

By the 17th Century there was much trade between communities. The Ridgeway would have been extremely busy, with livestock travelling to and from the Market Towns on its route. That was until the birth of The Steam Engine and the Internal Combustion Engine.
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The White Horse at Uffington.

EARLY SETTLEMENTS
There is much evidence of occupation along The Ridgeway before during and after The Roman occupation. The White Horse, cut into the chalk at Uffington is 2,800 years old.

There are Round Barrow cemeteries at Overton Hill and Lambourn. The Long Barrow at Wayland's Smithy includes a remarkable stone burial chamber. There are Roman agricultural landscapes at Fyfield and Overton Downs. The outlines of Hill forts survive at Barbury, Liddington and Uffington, and excavations at Segsbury (Letcombe Castle) and Alfred’s Castle. (see also Hillforts of the Ridgeway)


Uffington Castle Hill Fort.
 

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The Red Kite returns to Stokenchurch.

HISTORIC
ROADS
Since Neolithic times, The Ridgeway and Icknield Way have connected the southwest with the northeast. At the foot of The Chilterns just north of Stokenchurch, this ancient drove road crosses an equally important line of communication. The London Weye (Way), which ran in a northwesterly direction.

By The Thirteenth century, The London Weye had become a vital link between London and Oxford. At the same time, crime and lawlessness was commonplace in the Chilterns remote landscapes and villages. Moving through these areas was considered extremely hazardous, so travellers were encouraged to pass through Stokenchurch as quickly as possible. Tales of Dick Turpin and Jack Shrimpton survive to this day.

The M40 at Stokenchurch

Not withstanding this, the popularity of the road continued to the point of over use, causing the innocent traveller dangers of a different kind. In the early eighteenth century the road was so badly worn and dangerous that in winter the hill became almost impassable.

Money was raised through turning the road over to a Turnpike Trust, making it the first toll road in the country. By the nineteenth century with the road diverted to a lesser slope, which later became the A40. The London Weye was at its most efficient with stagecoaches racing North and South over Stokenchurch Hill.

Today, with the M40 slicing its way through the chalk gap (also known as the Aston Hill cutting), travellers are still encouraged to pass through this area of The Chilterns as quickly as possible!
 

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GEOLOGY 
Being part of the London Basin, the Ridges are situated between Crowthorne and Finchampstead. They were formed over 50 million years ago by the glacial wash from further North in England. They comprise woodland and a heather ridge. In medieval times this area was part of the vast chase of Windsor Forest.


Heather and Gorse at Finchampstead Ridges

HISTORIC
The ridges would once have overlooked the ‘Devil’s Highway’, a 2000 year old road that led to the Roman city of Silchester, some 12 kilometres west. In Saxon times, there is evidence of a tribe called “The Woccingas”, which dominated an area from Woking to Wokingham. 

As the centuries moved on it became part of “The Royal Hunting Forest of Windsor”, which covered 2,000 square miles of Wessex. Below the ridges to the north, is Bearwood possibly also known as Bare Wood or Bere Wood. 

By 1630 stock of Deer in this part of the “Royal Forest” was fairly sparse, so to make hunting a tad easier, King Charles I ordered that Bearwood Walke should be enclosed so the Deer could not "wander off". The interruption of the Civil War (1642-49) saw much neglect of the area’s hunting stock and by 1660 the local people had reclaimed their common rights, similar to those still practiced in The New Forest.

The giant Wellingtonias of Finchampstead

There is now a nine-mile ride through the woodland and Finchampstead boasts 30 miles of footpaths.
 

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The Devil’s Punchbowl is a water formed feature. Over the centuries, as it reached the underlying layers of clay, rainwater washed away the permeable layer of lower greensand. This action can still be seen in the form of springs all around the punchbowl. It is the largest spring formed feature in Britain.

The A3 Curls around The Punchbowl

The Cuckmere River is one of only four that cut through the South Downs. To the South, the English Channel continues to wear away at the remaining chalk ridge that once connected England to France.


The spectacular Seven Sisters above Cuckmere Haven.

NATURAL HISTORY
Part of the importance of the Cuckmere is the range of habitats, including marine, saltmarsh, shingle, mudflat and freshwater. The lower reaches of the river are important for both passage and wintering birds including teal, wigeon and snipe. The meadows and drainage ditches that dissect them also support a number of unusual plants. 

The quiet meander of the Cuckmere River.

HISTORIC

By 1680 the natural course of the river had been controlled by constructing earth embankments. Known locally as “Inning the land”, it controlled the encroachment of the sea at high tide, allowing these riverside pastures to be grazed. By 1846 the river south of Exceat bridge had been canalised, this reduced the threat of flooding. With ever rising see levels, The Environment Agency now plan to return much of the haven to the sea.

The Purbeck Monocline is a giant kink in the rock caused by the collision of two great continents, Europe and Africa. Formed about 25 million years ago, a more southerly affect of this collision would be the Alps. 

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Lulworth Cove.

NATURAL HISTORY

The rare Early Spider Orchid, with its rich plumb coloured petals is well suited to this chalk grassland and is often found within sight of the sea. It has a short lifespan of one to three years and is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. 

Another local inhabitant is the warm brown Lulworth Skipper Butterfly (Thymelicus action). Guillemots are to be found on narrow ledges along the shear cliffs. These are easier to see when nesting between March and July. Ravens can be seen and heard all year round.
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Durdle Door.

The disused quarries around the coast particularly on Portland Island encourage various species of hibernating Bat including the Greater Horseshoe and Bechsteins. Rare lichens and mosses are also to be found.