Devon Wildlife Trust to open the gates to an undiscovered wildlife haven

Devon Wildlife Trust is opening Meeth Quarry nature reserve for the first time to the wider public at a free special event on Friday 31 May between 10.30am and 4pm.

Meeth Quarry, near Hatherleigh, is 150 hectares of rolling landscape, deep water filled lakes and beautiful views. The charity’s message for the day is clear: ‘Come on down and see what we’ve been up to’.

The site was an operational clay quarry until 2004 and throughout its working life remained off-limits to the general public. At its peak, in the 1970s the quarry was employing nearly 50 local people and producing 70,000 tonnes of clay per year. Much of this clay was used to make tiles, toilets, sinks and basins.

In December 2012 the charity Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) purchased the 150 hectare site using funds provided by Viridor Credits Environmental Company and generous individual donors. Over the first five months of 2013, with funding from Natural England, DWT has worked hard to turn the site into a publicly accessible nature reserve. The charity has been clearing scrub to maintain wildflower meadows, opening up ponds for dragonflies and wading birds, and ensuring that the site’s resident Exmoor ponies can continue to munch away at invasive grasses which would otherwise soon take over. DWT staff members have also been improving the nature reserve for people - installing trails, information panels, picnic seating, sculptures and even a bike park.   

DWT’s Nature Reserve Interpretation Officer, Jo Pullin explained: “We’re inviting people to come along to Meeth Quarry, to discover its breathtaking scale, its stunning wildlife and its fascinating history. It’s also an opportunity for people to explore, to witness the work that we’ve done here and to let us know about how they would like the nature reserve to function in the future.”

Jo continued: “Meeth Quarry is a special place. Because it’s a new nature reserve we’re still getting to know it. But in the brief five months we’ve been working here we’ve been blown away by the amount and diversity of wildlife this place has. The bird song is amazing; the plant communities that exist here are wonderful, while the butterflies and dragonflies are really impressive too.”  

Visitors to the free event will be able to join one of a series of guided walks around the nature reserve led by DWT staff. The walks will give people an opportunity to see ‘behind the scenes’ at the nature reserve, visiting some of its tucked away corners. Families will be well-catered for with story-telling, a children’s walk and refreshments all available. Displays will tell visitors about Meeth Quarry’s proud industrial heritage, the local people who worked there and the nature reserve’s wildlife which includes barn owls, roe deer, 14 species of dragonfly, brown hare, along with a long list of wildfowl and wading birds.

Devon Wildlife Trust’s Nature Reserves Manager, Matt Boydell, explained about the importance of the opening: “We’re excited to be opening Meeth Quarry because we want to share it with local communities and visitors from further afield. With large expanses of open water, vast open spaces, woodland and grassland Meeth really does have it all for wildlife and people.”

Matt continued: “Meeth Quarry has so much potential. The fact that the Tarka Trail runs directly through the site means we have great access by bike, foot and horse. Meeth Quarry is also strategically in a great spot for us. It neighbours our Ash Moor nature reserve and is at the heart of the Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area – a major landscape-scale project taking place across the River Torridge catchment in which we are a leading partner. I think all the component parts are in place which should mean Meeth Quarry can become one of Devon Wildlife Trust’s flagship nature reserves.”

After the opening event on Friday 31 May Meeth Quarry nature reserve will be open to the public. Access is either by car via the A386 at Meeth village, or via the Tarka Trail, one mile from its southern end. The nature reserve has a network of trails aimed at all levels of ability, including some that will accommodate wheelchair and buggy users.

For further information about the work of the Devon Wildlife Trust, please click here.