Huckford Quarry nature reserve

The Huckford Quarry local nature reserve is an area of woodland in Winterbourne Down that runs along the River Frome.

It has an overhead viaduct and exposed stone from the days of mining.

The site is on the Frome Valley Walkway which links the centre of Bristol to the Cotswold Hills.

How to get there

The nature reserve can be accessed by walking along the Frome Valley walkway from Down Road or by using the footpath from Hicks Common Road.

There are many bus services that run to Winterbourne Down. You can use Travelwest’s journey planner for more information.

There is no parking for Huckford Quarry Nature Reserve.

Address

Winterbourne, Bristol, BS36 1EL

Map

Accessibility

Huckford Quarry nature reserve is not easily accessible.  It has uneven terrain that makes the site unsuitable for wheelchair users and pushchairs.

Facilities

The quarry is just off the Frome Valley Walkway and has a circular path that takes in the quarry face and its features. There are steep climbs around the rocky site.

Wildlife

The quarry offers different habitats for plants and animals. It is deep, damp and dark for much of the year, making it ideal for ferns, mosses and lichens.

Polypody, harts tongue and lady ferns can all be found among old quarry boulders and the shaded woodland banks.

The woodland area along the River Frome contains native woodland flowers, including stitchwort, bluebells, violets, foxgloves, yellow archangel and wood anemone. On the slopes there are wood spurge, wood sage, wild arum and wild strawberries.

History

At the beginning of the 20th century the Huckford quarry provided stone for the Wotton Bassett to Patchway railway line and many buildings in the area.

The quarry closed in the early 1940s. The site is now overgrown with plants, forming an important wildlife habitat. It was became a local nature reserve in 1993.