green hairstreak A Fulbourn Nature Reserve on hawthorn F Junipers A large area of flower-rich meadows, marsh and The Fleam Dyke The nine junipers on the Fleam woodland, belonging to Fulbourn Manor. The Dyke are the only examples of the entrance is at the end of Stonebridge Lane. A native juniper which remain in These beautiful meadows are managed for male East Anglia. Scrub clearance may the Townley family by the Wildlife have helped them to set seed, and Trust. there are now four small seedlings in protective guards. Near the A11 entrance there are two plantations female of juniper bushes, grown clustered from cuttings. bellflower juniper B Scrub areas B chalkhill blue on Large sections of the greater knapweed Fleam Dyke had become covered with hawthorn, C blackthorn, buckthorn and some spindle (a chalk-loving, hardwood species used to make spinning wheels for the D spinning of wool). Recent E redwing clearance has greatly spindle benefited flowers, especially the skylark clustered bellflower. E F C Disused railway D Mutlow Hill M N AP In 1848 the Newmarket and Chesterford line The Fleam Dyke probably follows a o: 0 : © 0 c 32 ro Neolithic boundary path to Mutlow Hill 41 wn opened as the first part of a rail link from London 00 c , 6 op N yr o ig to Norwich. However, after only three years the ancient vantage point and meeting place. ve ht a m ll r fieldfare be ig r 2 h common lizard line closed due to financial difficulties. Eastern The earth mound (or barrow) at its centre 0 ts 08 re . C se o rv Counties Railway took over and drove an alter- was built 4000 years ago (Bronze Age) for m ed pa . L ny ic the burial of cremated remains. The stones : C en native route from Cambridge to Newmarket via C ce S L td G of a small Roman temple, and rare third- . Beech and silver Six Mile Bottom. Walkers now cross the cutting lady’s bedstraw on an embankment which was constructed in the century BC coins have been found nearby, G birch woodland late 1930s in order to provide shooting butts for but everything else was looted long ago. Beyond the Bedford Gap which, rifle practice in preparation for the coming war. legend says, was cut for the Duke red-tailed greater bumblebee of Bedford’s race horses, the E Chalk grassland Essex knapweed slopes of the Dyke are covered skipper Chalk grassland is particularly rich with a mix of native and non- with colourful flowers of chalk native trees, such as holm oak. cowslip Listen for the long-tailed tits, downland: in early spring, violets hoary plantain common H and cowslips, then in May, rock- knapweed agrimony wrens and other small birds. rose, horseshoe vetch and ladybird milkwort followed by wild thyme, H The Icknield squinancywort, lady’s bedstraw, small scabious common Way dropwort, small scabious, field broomrape rock-rose scabious, common knapweed and meadow The Fleam Dyke ends at the greater knapweed. Between brown high ground (90m) known as Fulbourn and the disused railway The Ambush, which would have the path is now bordered by field scabious been thickly wooded in early Saxon times. A footpath leads to harebell, clustered bellflower common blue and greater knapweed. Rockrose violet the Icknield Way, which has been used since Neolithic times. and lady’s bedstraw are also small spreading along the path. Autumn tortoiseshell It linked the Norfolk coast to brings red hawthorn berries, Ivinghoe, Buckinghamshire. Look for the waymark of a purple sloes and the black berries wren of privet, purging buckthorn and Neolithic axe. The Harcamlow the trailing, feathery white gar- Way is a modern long-distance lands of ‘old man’s beard’, or walk linking Harlow and bird’s foot trefoil with red admiral Cambridge. wild clematis. red and white clover

Fleam Dyke near the disused railway. Photo: Julia Napier Napier Julia Photo: railway. disused the near Dyke Fleam

(November 2008) (November other flowers and birds. and flowers other Signs: Shelley leaflet. this funding for Council

South Cambridgeshire District Cambridgeshire South spindle, hawthorn (and leaflet design & typesetting). & design leaflet (and hawthorn spindle,

• The Friends wish to thank to wish Friends The • Red admirals, wren, violets, tortoiseshell, violets, wren, admirals, Red Bone: Tina

Clustered bellflower, juniper, buzzard. juniper, bellflower, Clustered Easy: Graham [email protected] • www.wildlifebcnp.org • [email protected]

Cambourne, Cambridge CB23 6DH. Tel: 01954 713530 01954 Tel: 6DH. CB23 Cambridge Cambourne, Green hairstreak and chalkhill blue. chalkhill and hairstreak Green Lewington: Richard

contact: The Wildlife Trust, The Manor House, Great House, Manor The Trust, Wildlife The contact:

Illustrations

on the Fleam Dyke. For more information, please information, more For Dyke. Fleam the on

Harrison). • The Wildlife Trust runs regular mid-week work parties work mid-week regular runs Trust Wildlife The •

and hawkweed oxtongue (yellow), on Fleam Dyke, near Mutlow Hill (Photo: Jack (Photo: Hill Mutlow near Dyke, Fleam on (yellow), oxtongue hawkweed and

Common knapweed (purple), clustered bellflower (blue), burnet saxifrage (white) saxifrage burnet (blue), bellflower clustered (purple), knapweed Common (subscription £5–£10). (subscription

our newsletter, please contact the Wildlife Trust Wildlife the contact please newsletter, our

dog bins on the Roman Road. To join us, and to receive to and us, join To Road. Roman the on bins dog

Cambridge). We have installed information boards and boards information installed have We Cambridge).

the Roman Road (available from the Tourist Office, Tourist the from (available Road Roman the

flora and fauna. We have also produced a leaflet about leaflet a produced also have We fauna. and flora

fund-raising, running work parties and also monitoring also and parties work running fund-raising,

• The Friends of the Roman Road and Fleam Dyke help by help Dyke Fleam and Road Roman the of Friends The •

Council Countryside Services Team on 01223 715558. 715558. 01223 on Team Services Countryside Council

• To report problems, call the Cambridgeshire County Cambridgeshire the call problems, report To •

Who looks after the Fleam Dyke? Fleam the after looks Who

• Dog owners. Kindly clean up after your dog. your after up clean Kindly owners. Dog •

surface. surface. Council Archaeology Department. Department. Archaeology Council

• No cycling. The weight of cycle and cyclist damages the damages cyclist and cycle of weight The cycling. No • (English Nature), and by the Cambridgeshire County Cambridgeshire the by and Nature), (English

Please note: Please More extensive work has been paid for by Natural England Natural by for paid been has work extensive More

www.cambridge.gov.uk

• contractors, paid for by a Lottery grant Lottery a by for paid contractors, •

www.stagecoachbus.com/cambridge and www.stagecoachbus.com/cambridge

Fleam Dyke Fleam

• For details phone 0871 200 2233 or consult or 2233 200 0871 phone details For •

• work parties run by the Friends of the Roman Road and Road Roman the of Friends the by run parties work •

• Bus 16a goes to Haverhill via Balsham. via Haverhill to goes 16a Bus •

Wildlife Trust Wildlife

16, 17 and Citi 1. Citi and 17 16,

• the Mid-Week Conservation Volunteers run by The by run Volunteers Conservation Mid-Week the •

Cambridge Drummer Street Station to Fulbourn: buses Fulbourn: to Station Street Drummer Cambridge

General work has been done by by done been has work General

• There is a regular bus service on week days from days week on service bus regular a is There •

By Bus: By mammals and birds. and mammals

variety of plant species. All these provide food for small for food provide these All species. plant of variety

There is a lay-by on the southbound side. side. southbound the on lay-by a is There

this famous early Saxon earthwork Saxon early famous this

, benefit from the wide the from benefit , beetles and weevils spiders, as such

cuts through the Fleam Dyke at TL550542. at Dyke Fleam the through cuts A The • 11

A guide to a 5km (3 mile) walk along along walk mile) (3 5km a to guide A

steadily along the Dyke. Other, less easily visible insects visible easily less Other, Dyke. the along steadily

Limited parking space. parking Limited

are abundant, and butterfly numbers have increased have numbers butterfly and abundant, are

the Icknield Way symbol, turning left at Harcamlow Way. Harcamlow at left turning symbol, Way Icknield the

Interest

and other winged insects winged other and wasps solitary hoverflies, bees,

• From the end of Fox Road, Balsham, TL580514. Follow TL580514. Balsham, Road, Fox of end the From •

Site of Special Scientific Scientific Special of Site Bumble September. until May from flowers of full now

TL526557.

systematic clearance of invasive scrub and these areas are areas these and scrub invasive of clearance systematic

Scheduled Monument and and Monument Scheduled left down Stonebridge Lane. Limited parking space at space parking Limited Lane. Stonebridge down left

. Since 1990 there has been has there 1990 Since . butterflies as such invertebrates

Fulbourn. Go past the church and Fulbourn Manor, turn Manor, Fulbourn and church the past Go Fulbourn.

uncut each year in order to provide a good habitat for habitat good a provide to order in year each uncut

• The Fleam Dyke can be reached from the village of village the from reached be can Dyke Fleam The •

The Fleam Dyke Fleam The grazing or by cutting and raking off. Some areas are left are areas Some off. raking and cutting by or grazing

By Road: By

The flowers of chalk grassland are maintained either by either maintained are grassland chalk of flowers The

How to get there get to How Conservation Conservation

Archaeology Come and see the Butterflies and other insects orange tip The massive earthwork flowers! Chalk grassland species, such as known as Fleam Dyke Violets are the first flowers on the grizzled skipper, grayling and consists of a 7m to 8m (25 the Fleam Dyke in April. chalkhill blue, disappeared as the feet) high bank and ditch Cowslips have multiplied dyke became covered with scrub. barrier, which runs for 5km since the overgrown banks dwarf thistle Scrub-clearance has led to an in- (3 miles) from Balsham to near Fulbourn were cleared. crease in the growth of horseshoe vetch small Fulbourn. It is the third of a heath From May onwards there is a succession and the return of chalkhill blues. on series of barriers built in the of the beautiful low-growing plants yarrow 5th and 6th centuries by Moths, bumble bees, solitary bees typical of chalk grassland. The area Anglo-Saxon immigrants in and wasps, and many other winged near Mutlow Hill becomes golden with order to defend their core insects thrive on the abundance of horseshoe vetch and rock-roses, and settlements against flowers. In May, the occasional green here, and east of the A11, wild thyme Romano-British attacks The Saxon defence barriers hairstreak can be seen along the bank from the south west. contrasts with large patches of white from Mutlow Hill to Fulbourn.Twenty- squinancywort. Look out for the starry white four species of butterfly are regularly The widening of flowers of dropwort, and the small white seen on the Fleam Dyke, often in good the A11 (in l991) umbels of burnet saxifrage. Milkwort has a numbers. Numerous anthills are evidence was an opport- long flowering season and comes in a choice of large numbers of meadow ants (found ringlet unity to excavate of colours: pink, white and blue! As the harebell only in areas of old and undisturbed grassland). using modern summer progresses, lady’s bedstraw forms a Crickets and grasshoppers methods to help background to the mauve, purple and blue of can be heard and seen in the with analysis. The common knapweed, small scabious, grass on sunny days. results show that clustered bellflower and harebells. Near the Fleam Dyke Mutlow Hill the white flowers and dark bloody-nosed beetle was built in three distinct phases, from the early 5th to the bronze leaves of eyebright mark the path Mammals, reptiles and birds early 7th centuries. The remains of snail shells and a in August, and if you quaking grass Rabbits are Roman coin found beneath the bank show that the Dyke is look carefully you may common and post-Roman. see autumn gentians. hares can be Historically, the Fleam Dyke marks ancient settlement seen in the boundaries, and is still a parish boundary. The highest point surrounding at Mutlow Hill is crowned by a Bronze Age barrow, long fields. Muntjac, buzzard since looted, which was used for meetings (moots) from foxes and Neolithic times onwards. badgers live on or near the dyke. Stoats and weasels can be seen crossing the path Natural history and, if you move quietly, you may see a common lizard The flora and fauna of chalk grassland have developed over basking on bare soil or on the cross-bar of a fence. There several thousand years, since early man cleared the trees are harmless grass snakes near the Pumping Station. and began to graze sheep. When sheep farming declined Many birds can be seen or heard: skylark, yellow hammer, during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the spread of blackbird, robin and wren. Fieldfares and tits forage scrub was limited by grazing rabbits. However, myxoma- through the hedges in winter, and summer visitors such as tosis killed most of the rabbit population in the l950s, whitethroat and blackcap sing in the hedges. You may see which allowed seedlings of many shrubs to grow. Large a sparrow hawk “zooming” or a kestrel hovering along areas of short turf, once rich in flowers and the dyke. Buzzards have returned to the area and can be butterflies, became covered in scrub. dropwort horseshoe vetch salad burnet seen circling over Mutlow Hill, uttering their eerie cries.