DANEWAY BANKS
Bird rich habitat together with scarce butterflies and orchids
The Cotswolds offers chocolate-box scenery, beautiful thatched cottages and quaint village churches, together with some magnificent wildlife which thrives in this much underwatched area. The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has embraced the area around Sapperton with the acquisition of a few small nature reserves, exceptional for flora and fauna. You could start the walk from several locations, but here we start from the Daneway Inn, just the place when the weather is fine. The Inn has featured on television programmes and was formerly the home to workers on the nearby Thames and Severn Canal, built in 1784. It was originally three cottages and later became the local hostelry. The Daneway Banks reserve is just uphill from the pub and a new information board adorns the entrance to this recently acquired land by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. A rich mix of short grassy banks, hedgerows and woodland and undulating hillsides offers rich pickings for the wildlife enthusiast. Woodlands hold a few Marsh Tit and a good number of breeding warblers, while the short-turfed hillsides attract good numbers of Green Woodpeckers feeding on the many ant hills. Buzzards soar overhead with Ravens and occasional visits from Red Kite. Dippers are also seen along the river at the bottom of the valley. It is possible to see the Large Blue butterfly at Daneway Banks in June, and also the exquisite Marsh Fritillary nearby at Strawberry Banks, but the latter will be way past their best by then. Sky Larks, Linnets, Yellowhammers and Redlegged Partridges may be seen in the general area and if you
don’t fancy the long walk you can shorten the walk and park at nearby Oakridge which gives more time to look for orchids and butterflies at the Strawberry Banks reserve.