Lardon Chase, the Holies and Lough Down facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lardon Chase, the Holies and Lough Down
Lardon Chase, looking north along the Chase from the car park
Location	Berkshire, England, UK
OS grid reference	SU581806
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Lardon Chase, the Holies, and Lough Down are three amazing natural areas in Berkshire, England. They are looked after by the National Trust, a charity that protects special places. You can find them on the edge of the Berkshire Downs, which are rolling hills. They sit above the village of Streatley and look out over the Goring Gap, a valley where the River Thames flows.

These three areas together cover about 27 hectares (that's like 67 acres) of open grassland and woods. They are perfect for walks and offer fantastic views. Lardon Chase and a part of the Holies, known as Holies Down, are so important for nature that they are called Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). This means they have rare plants or animals that need special protection. These places are also part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a special landscape. Long ago, people built forts here during the Neolithic (New Stone Age) and Iron Age periods.

Exploring the Landscape

Lardon Chase and Lough Down are part of a hill that stretches out to the west of Goring and Streatley. The National Trust helps manage this land. They clear away unwanted plants and let cattle graze. This helps special plants that love chalky soil to grow.

The Holies is a grassy valley, or coombe, surrounded by trees. It's separated from Lardon Chase and Lough Down by the B4009 road that goes from Streatley to Newbury. Before the National Trust took over, this area was used for motorbike racing and removing grass. This caused a lot of damage to the ground. Now, the National Trust is helping the area recover naturally. They want chalk-loving plants to grow back. You can also find three interesting turf mazes in the Holies. These are patterns cut into the grass that you can walk through.

Amazing Plants and Animals

The hillsides of all three properties have one of the biggest areas of chalk grassland left in Berkshire. This type of grassland is very special. It supports many different kinds of flowers and butterflies.

Grassland Wonders

In the chalk grassland, you can find beautiful flowers like autumn gentian and clustered bellflower. Other plants include blue fleabane, vervain, common rock-rose, and horseshoe vetch. You might also spot kidney vetch, marjoram, yellow-wort, and purging flax. Look closely for wild carrot, chalk milkwort, stemless thistle, and eyebright. Even more plants like mouse-ear hawkweed, salad burnet, ragwort, and wild thyme grow here. Don't forget the hairy violet, squinancywort, hawkweed ox-tongue, and two types of orchids: common spotted orchid and pyramidal orchid.

Butterfly Haven

Small groups of hawthorn bushes are scattered around. These bushes provide shelter for insects. Many different types of butterflies live here. You might see the beautiful chalkhill blue or the marbled white. Other butterflies include the adonis blue, grizzled skipper, and dingy skipper.

How to Visit

All three areas are connected and easy to get to. There's a car park on the B4009 road. You can also reach them by walking up steep paths from Streatley village. The Holies can be reached on foot from the A329 road south of Streatley. Lough Down can be accessed from The Ridgeway, an ancient walking path, on its northern side. It's free to visit, and you can go anytime. These properties are right next to the Goring & Streatley Golf Club.

Images for kids

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  Looking down the Thames Valley from Lardon Chase

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  The Goring Gap seen from Lardon Chase on a snowy January day

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  Lough Down

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  The Holies, looking across to the Chiltern Hills