About the reserve

Quarried until 1902, Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit must once have been noisy and dusty, but today this lovely spot, nestled in a classic rolling Wolds valley, is calming, charming and home to a plethora of chalk-loving plants.

The best time to visit is late spring into early summer, when pyramidal, twayblade and common spotted-orchids bloom and stand to attention, in harmonious contrast to the white of the bedrock. You can find the adder's tongue here too.

Flitting and fluttering its way through the blaze of colour is one of Kiplingcotes' main attractions - the marbled white. Like the glamorous screen legends of Hollywood's golden era, this stunning black and white butterfly is a real star. There's a strong supporting cast too, including dingy skipper, gatekeeper and brimstone. 

As vegetation colonises the bare chalk, different wildlife communities spring up as succession takes places over time. The first ‘pioneer’ species of lichens and moss colonise the quarry face and short-tufted grassland develops on the thin soils of the quarry floor supporting wild pansy, wild thyme and mouse-ear hawkweed. More established grassland on the quarry top supports common and greater knapweed, field scabious, harebell and lady's bedstraw and burnet saxifrage.

Ant hills built by yellow meadow ants are scattered across the nature reserve and are characterised by being covered by springy beds of wild thyme – very fragrant when crushed. Some of these ant hills can be decades old and in the wider countryside are only found in areas that are not damaged by ploughing or mechanical cutting.

The nationally scarce red hemp-nettle is found here, as is a large population of basil thyme, which has undergone a huge decline in the UK. Blackcap, bullfinch, and linnet can be found in the scrub, whereas in winter migrant birds pass through feeding on berries.

Surround Sound 

A visit to Kiplingcotes is accompanied by a natural soundtrack that's amplified by the chalk walls - the haunting cries of buzzards and red kites, the yaffling of a green woodpecker, the 'little bit of bread and no cheeeeese' wheeze of the yellowhammer, and the chirping of grasshoppers. 

It's a gentle and easy stroll through the reserve, but if you're feeling up to a short, steep climb up to the bank top, you'll be rewarded with glorious views back down the valley towards Market Weighton.