Dragonflies

Rest

Several species of dragonﬂy live only on

heathlands and Iping and Stedham Commons

are home to all ﬁve of the heathland species

found in southern UK:

Î Golden-ringed

Î Emperor

Î Black Darter

Î Broad-bodied chasers

Î Common darter

Dragonﬂies are bigger and

sturdier than damselﬂies and they hold

their wings out like an aeroplane when

landed. Damselﬂies hold their wings closed

along their body or half-open when landed.

HOW TO FIND DRAGONFLIES REST

Location: Stedham Common

Grid reference: SU 857 218

Nearest town: Midhurst Found it

Heathlands Sculpture

Trail

Inspired by stories from communities and drawing

upon sources as diverse as the poet Tennyson and

a 394-year-old local map, seven bespoke stone

carvings have been made as part of the Heathlands

Reunited National Lottery Heritage funded project.

Linking seven heathland sites in the National Park,

these intricately carved characters of the heath tell

the unique story of the history, wildlife and people of

each site.

To develop the heathland habitat sculptures,

Graeme Mitcheson, the sculptor, spent six months

working with trained volunteers who collected oral

histories and carried out archive research, as well as

community groups and local schoolchildren.

Want to discover more

heathland stories?

Snaking its way through the purple

heather, green woods and golden

valleys of Sussex, the Serpent Trail

runs from Haslemere to Petersﬁeld.

This route is a great way to explore

the wildlife and history of our

precious heathland habitat, while also visiting some

of the South Downs’s picturesque villages and

towns. southdowns.gov.uk/serpent-trail

NFC and QR codes

Each sculpture will have an NFC

tag and QR code. Using your

smartphone you can ﬁnd out more

about your ﬁnd using an appropriate app.

The South Downs

National Park

Glorious heathland is not the only gem to

uncover in the South Downs National Park.

There are rolling hills, ancient woodland, river

valleys, listed buildings, diverse archaeology,

thriving villages and market towns as well as

the iconic white cliffs of the Heritage Coast.

Covering over 1600km

of England’s most

valued lowland landscapes, the South Downs

is a living working landscape waiting to be

explored.

Cranberry on

the mire

This site is a Special Area of

Conservation noted for its impressive ‘ﬂoating’

transition mire, which you can see if you look

north west from the sculpture.

Shortheath Common has a

high cover of the cranberry

Vaccinium oxycoccos which is

rare in southern England.

The name is supposed to

be derived from crane-

berry because the

ﬂowers look like

cranes (the bird) with

their long necks.

HOW TO FIND CRANBERRY ON THE MIRE

Location: Shortheath Common

Grid reference: SU 773 364

Nearest town: Oakhanger Found it

Wiggonholt

Cricket

The ﬁeld cricket is an extremely rare, declining

and threatened insect in the UK which depends

solely on heathland habitat. It is

classiﬁed as Vulnerable under

UK law.

The ﬁeld cricket is one of

the largest crickets in the

country and although it has

wings, it cannot ﬂy. There

has been a lot of work on this

site to reintroduce the ﬁeld cricket and

encourage the regeneration of heather.

HOW TO FIND WIGGONHOLT CRICKET

Location: Wiggonholt Heath

Grid reference: TQ 060 162

Nearest town: Pulborough Found it

Tennyson

Quote

Probably the most famous admirer

of the Common and nearby former

resident was poet Alfred Lord Tennyson. This

sculpture is inspired by some

of his words and ancient

documents granting rights

of pasture to the common.

The documents are

beautifully hand written with

incredible ﬂowing fonts. This

quote is long associated with the site and

written by Tennyson, using the font taken

directly from the documents. The sculpture

references the beautiful landscape and view from

the site but also nods to its industrious past.

HOW TO FIND TENNYSON QUOTE

Location: Black Down

Grid reference: SU 920 293

Nearest town: Haslemere Found it

Heathlands Reunited is

a partnership of 11 like

minded organisations,

led by the South Downs

National Park Authority. The project runs for ﬁve

years from 2016-2021 within an area covering 41

heathland sites.

The project aims to inspire communities to visit

their heathlands and learn more about them

so they can be enjoyed

by future generations

to come. It is also

practically recreating,

reconnecting and

restoring our precious

heaths.

Mary Saunders and Rachel

Richie with Map of Fitzlee

Common 1629 from the

Mitford Archives (Mitford

MSS 998), in the custody of

West Sussex Record Ofﬁce

Resting

Reptiles

Heaths are home to three species of

snake; Grass snake, Smooth snake

and Adder.

The smooth snake is Britain’s

rarest and most secretive

reptile. This sculpture shows

the snakes curled up on

a bed of oak and birch

leaves, trees which are both

associated with wooded heaths.

Woolbeding is unique as it was

never made into a plantation and still has

links to its ancient birch and oak woodland.

HOW TO FIND RESTING REPTILES

Location: Woolbeding Common

Grid reference: SU 871 260

Nearest town: Midhurst Found it

Getting around

By rail: The South Downs National Park is easy to

access by rail from London and the south coast.

Visit nationalrail.co.uk to plan your journey.

By bus: One of the most cost-effective ways to

travel by bus around the South Downs is by using

the Discovery Ticket which gives you unlimited

travel for the day across the National Park and

beyond. Visit traveline.info/se to plan your

journey.

Discover the historical tales

and hidden gems of the

South Downs heaths

HEATHLANDS

COUNTRYSIDE CODE

RESPECT

PROTECT

ENJOY

Respect other people

Î Leave gates and property

as you ﬁnd them

Î Keep to the paths unless

wider access is available

Protect the natural environment

Î Take your litter home

Î Keep dogs under effective control

Enjoy the outdoors

Î Plan ahead and be prepared

Î Follow advice and local signs

Sheep

Pig

The Sheep Pig is inspired

by a map, drawn in 1629

during the reign of Charles

1, showing the heath as

common land. It reﬂects

the former use of the site as

grazing land but also refers to the

rare map of the vicinity.

The original archive copy of the map was

found in the West Sussex Records ofﬁce. On

the primitively drawn map of the area, tiny

drawings of animals (almost appearing to be

standing on top of one another) can be seen.

Based on this, the sculptor created a replica of

the drawing in carved stone.

HOW TO FIND SHEEP PIG

Location: Graffham Common

Grid reference: SU 937 193

Nearest town: Graffham/Selham Found it

Lavington

Lizard

South Downs Heathlands support

all 12 of our native amphibians and

reptiles. Lavington Common provides

a home for all three types of

lizard that rely on heaths;

slow worms, common and

sand lizards can all be found

here.

During the breeding season

male sand lizards adopt a bright

green coloration to attract a mate. They

were once nearly extinct in Britain and are

now protected by law, and are still classed

as an endangered species.

HOW TO FIND LAVINGTON LIZARD

Location: Lavington Plantation

Grid reference: SU 948 186

Nearest town: Graffham Found it

Oak Birch

Open Access Land

Where you see the Open Access

symbol you can leave the footpath

on foot and walk, sightsee, picnic,

watch wildlife, run or climb within the

mapped area. Please adhere to site signage and

follow our Take the Lead messages to stay safe and

protect venerable wildlife in these areas.

Cycling, horse riding and driving are not permitted

on open access land. These recreational users must

stick to designated rights of way.

Take the Lead

For a safe and fun visit with your dog please

remember to keep them on a lead around

livestock and wildlife. Always bag and bin your

dog poo – any public bin will do. Stick to the

paths during ground nesting bird season (March –

September) and do not enter Ministry of Defence

Land when the red ﬂags are ﬂying.

Contact

01730 814810

@SDNPA #HelpTheHeaths

/SDNPA

southdownsnp

southdowns.gov.uk/heathlands-reunited

Details correct at time of going to print. We do not accept any

responsibility for loss, damage or injury, however caused, arising

directly or indirectly from use of this leaﬂet.

Please recycle

me after use

Stedham Common

Cranberry Plant

View North East from Black Down

Wiggonholt Heath

Lavington Common

British white cattle

Woolbeding Common