Bolton Percy Nature Reserve - Nabil Abbas
Bolton Percy Station Nature Reserve
Location
OS Map Reference
SE 527 416View on What3Words
Know before you go
Dogs
When to visit
Opening times
Open at all timesBest time to visit
May to SeptemberAbout the reserve
Nature is never stationary
Where passengers once stood, brambles now scramble, and grassland grows where rail tracks once ran. It's fascinating to see wildlife slowly populating a place that people have abandoned, working to its own timetable.
The scrub that grows on the boundaries provides shelter for butterflies and moths in the summer, with common blues and small heaths among the butterflies drawn to the underlying ballast and chalk, and six-spot burnets and latticed heaths among the moths. This scrubby habitat also provides food and shelter for songbirds, including bullfinches, linnets and the elusive lesser whitethroat.
Spring and summer are the best times to visit the reserve, particularly between May and July to see the small meadow flower and hear the birds singing. Primroses line the railway banks in spring. Our work on the meadow should be rewarded with a greater spread and variety of wildflowers in the years to come.
On warm summer days, there are still visitors on the old platform - peacock and red admiral butterflies can be seen basking there. Summer is also the time to see the site's fruit trees, while garlic mustard and red campion bloom in the hedgerows.
Accessibility and facilities
Walking at Bolton Percy Station
There are two linear paths and begin at the reserve entrance. The first has a firm but grassy surface of compacted earth over hardcore and follows a slight slope up to the left from outside the main gate for about 250 metres.
The second path is through the gate and about 300m long on gravel and cinder surfaces. Access is via a hook latch gate.
There are no benches or hides on the reserve.
The paths are not suitable for wheelchairs or buggies.
Transport
There is limited parking at end of the quiet access lane on firm compacted hardcore surface outside the reserve entrance. Please do not block vehicle access gate.
Facilities
The nearest public toilets are in Tadcaster three miles away.
Refreshments are available in Bolton Percy 0.5 miles away.
There is good mobile signal coverage throughout.
Species
Seasonal highlights
- Spring: Plants - Primrose; Invertebrates - Common blue; Small heath
- Summer: Plants - Red campion; Birds - Peacock; Lesser Whitethroat
- Autumn: Invertebrates - Red admiral; Birds - Linnet
- Winter: Birds- Bullfinch
Directions
Bolton Percy lies about three miles south-east from Tadcaster.
From Tadcaster: Follow Oxton Lane over the A64. Keep going for around 2 miles, passing Station Farm and crossing a railway bridge. 400m after the railway bridge is a sharp left turn. Follow this track 400m to another left turn; on this road cars can be left.
From Bolton Percy: Head towards Tadcaster. There is a sharp right turn as you leave the village, where you will see the cricket club to your left. The main road then bends to the left whilst another track continues straight – follow this track 400m to another left turn; on this road cars can be left.
Please refer to the map below with regards car parking.
The main section of the reserve is accessed through the gate at the bottom of the track. This main gate is locked to obstruct car access but just to the right is a pedestrian access gate. Go through this gate and turn left to get back onto the track behind the main gate. Network rail still retains access to the site so the roadway and gateways must not be blocked.
Gatekeeper ©David Longshaw
Magic Wildlife Moment
The attractive orange-and-brown patterning of gatekeeps and wall butterflies, found along the flowering hedgerows in summer
The autumn colours were even more beautiful when the sun came out
Photo Credit - Telling our Story Volunteer, Sara
