The Adur & Worthing Wildflower Trail

Steepdown Hill Local Wildlife Site

Posted on 12 October 2023 by Sue Standing

Steepdown Hill Local Wildlife Site is a field on Lychpole Farm, 900m east of Beggars Bush car park, Sompting BN15 0AY, where Titch Hill Road meets Steyning Bostal Road.

CROW Act Open Access Areas are nearly always open but please refer to maps to identify which field is the Open Access Area.

Access to the site is 900m of rough track and then a steep hill slope on which livestock may be present. Unfortunately, this site is not accessible for some disabilities due to the path being very rough and the hillside very steep and uneven.

The only Parking is at Beggars Bush car park, do not drive into the farmhouses area at this postcode. If that is full, park in North Sompting residential area and walk up the footpaths from Herbert Road west then north. Access into the field is via the public footpath. For your safety please only enter fields where a public footpath is indicated.

The site is about 10Ha with Cowslips and Harebells often flowering on this ancient species rich chalk grassland.

The site is managed by the Farmer with regular grazing outside of the flowering season, and occasional control of scrub as needed.

Seed collection is not allowed as this is a designated Local Wildlife Site and the seed should stay where it is to sustain populations.

Steepdown Hill LWS is ancient chalk grassland; it was too steep to be mechanically ploughed and fertilised when so much wildflower-rich chalk downland was ploughed to feed the nation after World War II. So it is a precious survival. The lower, flatter northwest part of the meadow was ploughed and fertilised, but Sompting Estate and our Lychpole Farm tenants have reverted it to unfertilised grassland. We hope that over years to come, the cattle and sheep grazing the older parts of the meadow will bring seeds on their hooves to make that part flower-rich like the rest.

More information on www.somptingestate.com/farming-with-nature

Our future plans are to extend the flower-rich sward diversity over the former arable field in the NW corner of the site, which we have added to the LWS area for this purpose.

For more information visit Sompting Estate

Breathing Spaces Community Flower Farm

Posted on 21 June 2023 by Sue Standing

Breathing Spaces Community Flower Farm is located at the Maybridge Keystone Centre in Worthing. Breathing Spaces is now a Transition Town Worthing project and this is a volunteer-led community garden that provides the opportunity to connect with nature via tending a small urban flower farm There is space for growing wild flowers for the benefit of people and pollinators and this is being expanded in a strip along the back of the playing field.

Breathing Spaces started up a dedicated patch of around 4m² and have already established wildflowers in other growing areas around fruit trees and in long grass areas. Using donated wildflower plants and collected seed, they are creating a vibrant wildflower habitat. The long grass is cut down at the end of the season and cleared away in the traditional hay cut method. Examples of species include Campion ‘ragged robin’, Red Valerian, Dock, Sorrel, Cowslips, Yarrow, Tansy, Knapweed, Cornflower and Wild carrot.

The site is open during Maybridge Keystone Centre opening hours, the hours can vary so it’s best to check first before visiting. The flower farm is not wheelchair accessible at present, (although the Woodland Garden which they also tend is). The site is accessed by walking across part of the playing field. The best time to see the wildflowers is around Early Summer.

Volunteers are welcome on Thursdays between March and December, 10:30-12:30.

For more information visit Breathing Spaces.

Breathing Spaces @ The Barnyard, Dankton Lane, Sompting

Posted on 26 April 2023 by Sue Standing

Breathing Spaces host monthly community volunteer sessions at Dankton Barnyard, Dankton Lane in Sompting. Here they have access to a small pre-established wildflower meadow rich in Knapweed, Wild Carrot, Golden rod, Yarrow, Scabious, St John’s Wort, Teasel, Corn Marigold, Toadflax, Hedge Parsley, Hogweed, Eupatorium and many more! The flowers are left to reseed and are not cut back so they are left for the benefit of wildlife.

At Dankton Lane, Breathing Spaces have permission from the landowners Sompting Estate to pick some wildflowers to add to their community supported bouquet scheme, but only a small proportion. As part of the management of the site they have been clearing invasive weeds such as brambles, thistles, nettles and hogweed, to make way for easier access and to allow reseeding with collected seed from the site. They have also improved the pond with the help of Sompting Estate and South Downs National Park Association and established a log hive for wild bees.

Visits to the barnyard are during the monthly Sunday morning volunteer sessions or by appointment only, as the gate is locked. It is also possible to view the site over the gate, which is on a footpath accessible from Herbert road Sompting or Lyons Farm, Worthing. There is no vehicle access. Please contact Breathing Spaces for more details Breathing Spaces Project