About the reserve

The attractive old meadows with tall hedges extend from Ashing Lane down to the Dunholme Beck, which is lined with pollarded crack willows. Meadow flowers include common bird's-foot trefoil, cowslip, tufted vetch, common fleabane, hedge bedstraw, cuckooflower and great burnet. There is also a large colony of adder's-tongue. There is a field pond in the south-east corner with water figwort, reed sweet-grass, brooklime and a resident pair of moorhens. The hedges contain 13 different trees and shrubs, including hawthorn, blackthorn, field rose, dog rose, ash, dogwood, purging buckthorn and field maple. An owl box has been erected near the central dyke.

On acquiring Pickering’s Meadow in 1984 the Trust set out to enhance the site by improving the species mix in the hedgerows, clearing the small field pond and setting up a regular annual grazing regime for the benefit of grassland species. The meadows are traditionally hay cropped in mid-July and the aftermath is grazed with sheep. 

In 2009 the Trust purchased a further two fields to the east of the old meadows and has converted these arable fields to species rich grassland. This has been achieved by stripping the nutrients built up over years of intensive agriculture and then re-sowing with a mix of green hay from other sites and carefully sourced wildflower seed. After many years of careful restoration management these fields are now covered in wildflowers looking spectacular in spring and summer. A new hedgerow has been planted that currently is a part of a green lane running between the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ reserve. The Trust continues to manage both old and new grasslands, the hedgerows, pond and ditches to enrich the site for wildlife.

Ashing Lane nature reserve

Pickering’s Meadow is part of the wider Ashing Lane nature reserve which includes Watts Wood nature reserve and the community woodlands planted and managed by the Nettleham Woodland Trust and covers 80 acres.

Formerly arable land, Monks Wood was planted in 2009 and the Lincolnshire Cooperative Wood in 2012 where a small lake was excavated. Dogs can be walked in these woodlands but elsewhere are restricted to the public rights of way.  

More information about the woodlands can be found on the Nettleham Woodland Trust.

Nearest postcode LN2 3NN. Please note - postcodes are for the nearest registered address as we are unable to get postcodes for nature reserves.

Reserve map

Ashing Lane nature reserve map