Diverging paths on the Cotswold escarpment at Selsley Common SSSI Nature Reserve, Gloucestershire, UK


Selsley Common (grid reference SO829030) is a (97-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1966. It is a large open expanse and a rich habitat for rare flora and fauna. During the summer, bird song mingles with the sound of cattle as commoners can, and still do, exercise grazing rights. The common is in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and overlies the Jurassic limestone of the Cotswolds. It supports herb-rich calcareous grassland habitat. Leigh’s Quarry, which is in the southern part of the SSSI, is of particular geological significance.


Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Selsley Common, Stroud, United Kingdom
Photo credit: © Nick Turner / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: aonb, bleak, butterflies, common, commons, conservation, cotswold, cotswolds, distance, district, empty, england, english, escarpment, footpath, gloucestershire, habitat, land, landscape, line, nature, orchids, path, reserve, selsley, stroud, uk, winter