North Meadow National Nature Reserve is about 15 minutes walk north west of Cricklade town centre; the NNR has a great variety of wildflowers and is of international importance as one of the finest examples of a lowland hay meadow in Europe. It is protected as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Around 80% of Britain’s snakehead fritillaries grow here.
Blakehill Nature Reserve which is owned by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and consists of a 600 acre grassland haven for wildlife to the south west of Cricklade. The site was a second world war airfield and it is now in the midst of a twenty year restoration project to return it to a wildflower rich state for generations to come.
Dance Common on the southern entrance to the town is being managed by an enthusiastic team of volunteers to make the area more accessible to the public and to keep and improve the wildlife habitats. The Dance Common Management Group, Friends of Dance Common, produce a newsletter and have a Facebook presence.
Long Close and Hall Close in the centre of the town are both Scheduled Monuments as the original Saxon Town Banks (Walls) lie buried beneath them. Both areas are under management and restoration and Long Close with its ancient dew pond has been opened up for walkers and wildlife alike.
Fairview Fields, Millennium and Jubilee Woods on the Eastern outskirts of the town as you enter from the A419. For restful walks along the River Thames, access to the Thames path, seating, bins, Free car park and Electric Vehicle Recharge Points.
