Speckled wood butterfly - Tom Marshall
Finedon Cally Banks
Location
Wellingborough
Northamptonshire
OS Map Reference
SP 902 712
Know before you go
Entry fee
NoGrazing animals
NoWalking trails
Paths are narrow and uneven in places. Long flight of steps
Access
Unsuitable for wheelchairs
Dogs
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.
Scroll down to see the reserve boundary. Please note the boundary map is for indication purposes only and does not show the Wildlife Trusts definitive land boundary.