Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s Ellen Winter reflects on a month of activity in and around the Stroud Valleys.

AT GLOUCESTERSHIRE Wildlife Trust, we are privileged to look after many of Stroud’s most beautiful and tranquil places, with our cherished Slad Valley nature reserves and our four sites in the Chalford Valley, including Daneway Banks.

Coaley Peak Viewpoint, near Nympsfield, is one of the newest additions to our nature reserve collection. Along with four other sites we took over from Gloucestershire County Council last month – Crickley Hill, Cooper’s Hill, Barrow Wake and Kilkenny – we are delighted to be managing such popular and historic sites.

At first glance there are a couple of great reasons to visit Coaley Peak – the magnificent view of the River Severn snaking and shining through its wide vale, with the dark hills of the Forest of Dean and Wales beyond.

Not to mention the excitement of exploring the stones of the 4,900-year-old neolithic Nympsfield Long Barrow.

Although it was a barley field back in the 1960s, Coaley Peak has more recently been returned to the sort of rare limestone grassland we are lucky to enjoy around the Stroud Valleys.

It is located about four miles south-west of Stroud off the B4066.

The poor soil of these beautiful permanent grasslands means that more delicate wildflowers are able to thrive without being shaded out by tough grasses.

So, another reason to head there is to see the cowslips, bird’s foot trefoil and unusual sainfoin in flower.

It has good parking, flat access and picnic tables and the Cotswold Way passes through the site.

If trees and woodland are more your thing, then why not come on our woodland ecology course this weekend at the magical Lower Woods nature reserve, near Wickwar.

This day-long course is led by Paul Rutter, of Plantlife, who is not only immensely experienced in all things woodland – from woodland wildflowers to ancient trees – but is a fabulously approachable trainer.

If this piques your interest, then you can get more details and book online at gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/events