Natural England - Aston Rowant: what makes it special?

Aston Rowant: what makes it special?

Characteristic of the Chiltern chalk hills and valleys landscape, Aston Rowant NNR comprises flower-rich chalk grassland together with beech woodland, juniper and thorny scrub, and offers spectacular views over the Vale of Oxford and beyond.

Chalk grassland at Aston Rowant NNR © Chilterns Conservation Board

Whilst enjoying the views, visitors can marvel at the diversity of wildlife on the site, especially during the summer months when the air is filled with butterflies and the scent of wild herbs. The vivid, contrasting colours of the chalk grassland and beech woodland are stunning throughout the year and the rich variety of bird life also draws visitors to the reserve. Aston Rowant NNR is well known as one of the best places to see Red Kites in England.

Aston Rowant NNR also harbours a rich history within its cathedral-like ancient woodland, which is typical of a managed beech woods within the Chilterns. For hundreds of years people worked these woods as an industrial landscape and evidence of this can be spotted throughout, including saw pits, sunken ways and the chalk and flint pits which also remind us of the local geology.

You will also notice the large grassy mounds that pepper the reserve, these are the ant hills created by the yellow meadow ant, characteristic of un-ploughed chalk soils in this area. Their fascinating ecology has led to them being described as “the world’s smallest farms!” The worker ants feed the colony by “farming” greenfly that live on the roots of plants that surround the ant hills. The ants “tickle” honeydew from the greenfly, a sugary substance made from plant juices.

The reserve is also very much alive after dark when tawny owls, moths and bats can be seen. The splits and cracks in beech trees provide roosting sites for Noctule, Brown long-eared and Pipistrelle bats. Another night time spectacle is offered by the glow worms and July is the best time to see them. Despite their name they are actually beetles and the females can be seen “glowing” on grass stalks to attract a mate, especially in the fields around the base of Beacon Hill.

Visitors at dawn and dusk are likely to encounter deer on the reserve. 3 species can be spotted including fallow, roe and muntjac. Spring brings large herds of fallow deer to the south side of the site and you may also hear the “bark” of the muntjac in the beech woodland. The rare dormouse is present on the reserve but unlikely to be seen due to its secretive nocturnal habits. More common mammals such as rabbits, squirrels, mice and voles may be seen at all times.

The reserve has a self-guided Nature Discovery trail which changes seasonally.