Speckled wood butterfly - Tom Marshall
Finedon Cally Banks
Part of an old ironstone workings now reclaimed by nature
Location
3 miles from
Wellingborough
Northamptonshire
Wellingborough
Northamptonshire
OS Map Reference
SP 902 712
Know before you go
Size
3 hectares
Entry fee
NoGrazing animals
NoWalking trails
Paths are narrow and uneven in places. Long flight of steps
Access
Unsuitable for wheelchairs
Dogs
On a lead
When to visit
Opening times
Open at all timesBest time to visit
April to June, July to SeptemberAbout the reserve
The site is linked to the quarry first worked in the 1870s at Finedon Pocket Park. The ore was transported along a specially constructed railway to what is now the reserve.
The name Cally Banks comes from the process of burning iron ore to remove impurities, leaving a deposit called calcine which provides the poor soil conditions in which wildflowers flourish. Look for beautiful speckled wood butterflies among these flowers in spring and autumn.
Crickets, dragonflies and wetland flora also thrive here, while hawthorn and blackthorn scrub is a haven for warblers.
Species
Habitat
Contact us
Contact number: 01604 405285
Contact email: northamptonshire@wildlifebcn.org