Parsonage Down NNR is a working farm owned and managed by Natural England. Main habitats: lowland grassland For health and safety reasons, there is no access to the farm. Features of interest The site is notable for its abundant wildflowers with over 150 species being recorded, including salad burnet, dropwort, devil’s-bit scabious and knapweed. Orchids are also abundant with burnt tip, green-winged, frog, fragrant and pyramidal all being recorded on the site. Anthills cover the old downland. Green woodpeckers feed on the anthills and they are the favoured site for plants such as thyme and rockrose. The site also contains areas of scrub and these support birds such as yellowhammer and turtle dove, with lapwing and grey and red-legged partridge breeding on the downland. As well as its wildlife interest the site includes two scheduled monuments and several other archaeological features. The best time to visit the reserve is during the summer, for wildflowers and livestock. See the site visitor leaflet for more details. Directions The reserve is 12 kilometres north west of Salisbury and 1 kilometre north west of the village of Winterbourne Stoke. There is no access to the reserve from the farm office at Cherry Lodge. The access gate is 1½ miles from the farm on the old Drove road, at SU033415, and can be reached by walking from Shrewton. The nearest train station is Salisbury. There are bus services from Salisbury to Winterbourne Stoke and along the B3083. See the Traveline south west website for details. Parking can be found at Yarnbury Castle (SU041401), off the A303, and the access gate is a pleasant walk of about half a mile from here. Contact For more information contact Natural England Enquiries, tel. 0300 060 3900 or email enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk