Holies Down is a biological
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
south of
Streatley in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
.
It is in the
North Wessex Downs
The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is located in the English counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. The name ''North Wessex Downs'' is not a traditional one, the area covered being better kno ...
, which is an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is part of the Holies section of the
Lardon Chase, the Holies and Lough Down National Trust property.
This sloping site is an area of unimproved chalk grassland in the
Berkshire Downs which is maintained by grazing. The turf is mainly composed of
glaucous sedge
''Carex flacca'', with common names blue sedge, gray carex, glaucous sedge, or carnation-grass, (syn. ''Carex glauca''), is a species of sedge native to parts of Europe and North Africa. ,
red fescue,
sheep's fescue,
quaking grass
''Briza'' is a genus of annual and perennial plants in the grass family, native to northern temperate regions of Eurasia, North Africa, and certain islands in the Atlantic.
The group is generally referred to as the quaking grasses because the ...
,
yellow oat-grass
''Trisetum flavescens'', the yellow oatgrass or golden oat grass, is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
It can be found elsewhere, such as sections of North America, where it was introduc ...
,
upright brome and
tor-grass.
[
There is direct access to Holies Down from the A329 road, or by footpath across the Holies from the National Trust car park at the top of Streatley Hill on the B4009.
]
References
{{SSSIs Berks
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Berkshire