Ranscombe Farm, in Cuxton in North Kent, is a

Plantlife Plantlife is a wild plant conservation charity. , it manages 24 nature reserves around the United Kingdom. HM King Charles III is patron of the charity. History Plantlife was founded in 1989. Its first president was Professor David Bellamy ...

Nature Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

and working

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

. Part of the site is included in the Cobham Woods

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 ...

, and the whole farm is within the

Kent Downs The Kent Downs is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in Kent, England. They are the eastern half of the North Downs and stretch from the London/Surrey borders to the White Cliffs of Dover, including a small section of the London Boroug ...

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...

. Ranscombe Farm Reserve works in partnership with five other sites in the local area. They are Shorne Woods Country Park, Jeskyns,

Cobham Park Cobham Park is a former mansion and country estate in Cobham, Surrey, Cobham, Surrey, England. The main house was converted to apartments in the early 2000s, but the majority of the surrounding former parkland remains undeveloped. At its height ...

, Ashenbank Wood and the Cobham Leisure Plots. It has been a source for flower collectors for centuries. Nationally rare species, Hairy Mallow and Meadow Clary, were both collected from Ranscombe Farm, in 1699 and 1792 respectively. Other rarities include Ground Pine and Broad-leaved Cudweed and at least six species of orchid including Fly,

Lady ''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. "Lady" is al ...

('Fair Maidens of Kent') and Man Orchid. Plantlife Website May 2007The Independent, 7 Sept 2006, The Wild bunch by Peter Marren, reprinte

/ref> The chalk grassland hosts a rich suite of plants including Astragalus glycyphyllos, Wild Liquorice and

Horseshoe Vetch ''Hippocrepis comosa'', the horseshoe vetch, is a species of perennial flowering plant belonging to the genus '' Hippocrepis'' in the family Fabaceae. Description The overall appearance depends on its habitat: sometimes it forms upright clump ...

. The arable flora includes Corncockle, Blue Pimpernel, Night-flowering Catchfly, Narrow-fruited Cornsalad ''( Valerianella dentata)'

and Fumaria densiflora, Dense-flowered Fumitory.

What to see and when

*April: Bluebell, Early purple orchid *May:

Lady Orchid ''Orchis purpurea'', the lady orchid, is a herbaceous plant belonging to the genus ''Orchis'' of the family Orchidaceae. Description ''Orchis purpurea'' reaches on average of height. The leaves are broad and oblong-lanceolate, forming a ros ...

Fly Orchid ''Ophrys insectifera'', the fly orchid, is a species of orchid and the type species of the genus ''Ophrys''. It is remarkable as an example of the use of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as a highly selective and highly ...

, Man Orchid *June: Meadow Clary, Hairy Mallow, Ground Pine, common milkwort *July: Corncockle, Clustered Bellflower, Four species of poppy (

Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

, Rough, Prickly and Long-headed)

Location

TQ 718 675 :Railway Station: Cuxton :By Bus. Nu-Venture 151 to Cuxton. :By Bus. Arriva, 140 to

Strood Strood is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in Kent, South East England. Strood forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Kent, Chatham, Rochester, Kent, Rochester, Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham and Rainham, Kent, Rainham. It ...

- Marlowe Park ells Rdthen Elgin Gardens then the underpass located behind Elgin Gardens. :By Bus. Arriva, 141 to

- Earl Estate then Albatross Avenue then the underpass located at the car park. :By Road. M2 to Junction 2, Carpark entrance on A228 200m on the right after exit roundabout. Ranscombe Farm straddles the

North Downs Way The North Downs Way National Trail is a long-distance path in South East England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham in Surrey to Dover in Kent, past Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, through the Surrey Hills National Lan ...

, long-distance footpath.

References

External links

Plantlife Nature Reserves, Ranscombe Farm.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Kent Nature reserves in Kent Medway {{England-SSSI-stub