Harrison Sayer Nature Reserve, Hadstock – Essex Wildlife Trust – TL55754412 – Access Free on foot at all times –
Public transport:
No practical service.
Access:
Accessible at all times. It is not suitable for wheelchair access.
Directions:
Cars can be parked on the granary entrance road to the south. Take care when walking along the verge, due to fast traffic.
Description:
Originally part of Hadstock Common it was requisitioned in WWII as an airfield, and two brick fuel tank enclosures survive here from that period. Named after the previous late owner who donated the land to the Wildlife Trust, this small reserve contains one of the last remaining areas of unimproved boulder clay grassland in north-west Essex.
What to see:
Flowering plants include bee, pyramidal, common spotted and twayblade orchid, cowslip, wild liquorice,
fairy flax and blue fleabane. Areas of blackthorn and rose scrub provide habitat for nesting birds.
Views from this high point extend towards Cambridgeshire northwards.
The roadside verge between the granary entrance and the reserve entrance is also good for chalk-loving wildflower species in summer.
