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< Back to Places to visit Lydeard Hill A wonderful viewpoint or place to start your visit in the southern Quantock Hills. More info: ​ Best time to visit A great location any time of the year, with clear skies abundant in the winter providing great star gazing opportunities. In the autumn the heathers burst into purples and the gorse into yellow providing a riot of colour Look out for Lydeard Hill is a mix of species rich grassland and heathland. In spring and summer the hill is alive with heathland bird species such as stonechats, meadow pipits and the elusive Cuckoo. If you are lucky you may spot an adder before it dissapears into the heather. Getting there What3Words: Nearest postcode: Google Maps link: rate.soothing.incursion ​ https://maps.app.goo.gl/27gbp3AqCbRUMX1T8 Address: ​ Facilities nearby toilet, accessible toilet, cafe at Fyne Court approximately 3 miles away Transport and parking Parking at Lydeard Hill car park. Accessibility A number of rights of way and tracks are avaliable from the car park. Uneven terrain, including slopes and some cross-slopes. Lydeard Hill is the gateway to the southern hilltops of the Quantock Hills. The views are some of the best in the hills with huge vistas across the Vale of Taunton to the Blackdown Hills and into Devon. From the car park there are many tracks from which you can explore the more open rugged uplands with Lydeard Hill being one of the main starting point for those that want to go to Wills Neck, the highest point in the Quantock Hills at 386m. < Previous Next >

< Back to Business Plans (all) Business Plan 2011-2012 Download document [pdf] Click on the button above to download a copy of this document. If you require a different format, please email quantockhills@somerset.gov.uk or call 01823 451884. < Previous Next >

< Back to Business Plans (all) Business Plan 2014-2015 Download document [pdf] Click on the button above to download a copy of this document. If you require a different format, please email quantockhills@somerset.gov.uk or call 01823 451884. < Previous Next >

< Back to Joint Advisory Committee papers (all) Joint Advisory Committee papers April 2021 Download document [pdf] Click on the button above to download a copy of this document. If you require a different format, please email quantockhills@somerset.gov.uk or call 01823 451884. < Previous Next >

< Back to Newsletters (all) Newsletter April 2023 Download document [pdf] Click on the button above to download a copy of this document. If you require a different format, please email quantockhills@somerset.gov.uk or call 01823 451884. < Previous Next >

< Back to all information leaflets Deer on the Quantock Hills Download document [pdf] The importance of deer on the Quantock Hills, including their lifecycle and management. Click on the button above to download a copy of this document. If you require a different format, please email quantockhills@somerset.gov.uk or call 01823 451884 < Previous Next >

< Back to Consultation and planning documents (all) Landscape Character Assessment 2019 Download document [pdf] Click on the button above to download a copy of this document. If you require a different format, please email quantockhills@somerset.gov.uk or call 01823 451884. < Previous Next >

< Back to Management Plan (all documents) Strategic environment assessment Download document [pdf] Click on the button above to download a copy of this document. If you require a different format, please email quantockhills@somerset.gov.uk or call 01823 451884. < Previous Next >

< Back to Management Plan (all documents) Delivery Plan 2019-2024 Download document [pdf] Click on the button above to download a copy of this document. If you require a different format, please email quantockhills@somerset.gov.uk or call 01823 451884. < Previous Next >

< Back to Meet the team Andy Stevenson Ranger andrew.stevenson@somerset.gov.uk The Quantock Hills National Landscape Ranger works 'on the ground' to help conserve and enhance the Quantock Hills. They works closely with landowners, farmers and local authorities to ensure good countryside management practices and develop strong relationships with partnership organisations. The Ranger also works with various volunteer groups develiering practical conservation and access activities < Previous Next >

< Back to FAQs Swaling Why do we need to swale? Heathland is one of the rarest habitats in Europe. The Quantock Hills heathland is designated by Natural England as a mix of ‘lowland' and ‘upland’ heath as the majority is below 300metres in altitude. For this reason the heathland is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). If left unmanaged heathland would quickly become overgrown, with scrub species such as mountain ash (rowan) and silver birch that have self-sown amongst the heather. Gorse may also out compete the heather, therefore changing the wildlife value and landscape appearance of this rare habitat. Swaling (burning) in conjunction with grazing, is the most efficient way to control this growth and it enables vegetation to quickly re-grow, starting in the spring immediately following the burn. Other benefits of swaling are: A good burning rotation creates a mosaic of different habitats that maximises benefits for a wide range of heathland wildlife. Reduces the possibility of larger uncontrolled summer fires with serious impacts on the fragile wildlife Reveals hidden archaeology Swaling is never carried out without the landowner's permission. Although it may help, swaling is not carried out to destroy tick larva as these are buried in bracken mulch and can survive the above ground vegetation burning of a swale. When do we carry out swaling? Quantock Common has a management plan, called a Moorland Implementation Plan, which sets out all the management options for the common. This includes the grazing, control of invasive species, bracken as well as swaling. Areas are swaled on an approximate 15-year rotation. On the Quantock Common swaling is carried out between November and the end of March to avoid breeding wildlife and the damp and cold protects the valuable root and seed stock. Swaling beyond the end of March could impact on nesting birds like the skylark, dartford warbler, whitethroat, meadow pipit, stonechat and yellowhammer. Many ground nesting birds actually prefer the shorter fresh vegetation which grows back after swaling. Though we are allowed to start swaling in November, the Hills are very exposed to wet south westerly winds so swaling before Christmas is rare. We usually wait for a cold dry, but relatively calm high pressure weather from the east in January, February and March. Too strong a breeze can make fires too intense and more difficult to manage, possible even jumping fire breaks if not watched very closely. What about the wildlife, is it in danger from swaling and what benefit is it to them? The swaled area does not immediately provide a valuable habitat but vegetation is quick to re-grow in the spring and also provides lots of young fresh shoots for wildlife and livestock to eat. The edge of the swaled area can be a particular favourite of the adder on warm days but you'll be unlikely to spot an adder in the heart of the burned area - too exposed to a hungry bird of prey! The National Landscape team in partnership with the Reptile and Amphibian Group for Somerset (R.A.G.S) have been carrying out detailed surveys of adder populations and hibernation sites, allowing us to avoid them when swaling. The most important benefit however, is that swaling perpetuates the habitat the heathland wildlife depend upon. But isn't burning releasing carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change and having an adverse effect on the environment? This is an understandable reaction, but, in short, the answer is ‘no'. Swaling is generally regarded as ‘carbon neutral' when carried out at the right time of year and in the right way. The positive impacts from swaling include: It's neutral because the heather starts regrowing as soon as it's burnt, taking back carbon equivalent to that released into the atmosphere. The emissions from very small controlled burns between November and March are substantially less than the large damaging burns in summer. The whole objective of swaling as a form of land management, is to create the best possible living conditions for plant life and animals, so, indirectly, it actually contributes to maintaining and increasing wildlife populations; The vibrant more lush, new growth following a burn - in the years until the next swale - can make a more positive contribution to the atmosphere than the vegetation there before the burn. Who carries out swaling? The areas that are burned are agreed between landowners, commoners (farmers), the National Landscape team, National Trust and Natural England. On the day of a burn once the landowners and emergency services are informed, the burn is undertaken by the Commoners, National Landscape National Trust team and specially trained volunteers. < Previous Next >

< Back to Completed Projects (all) The Fallen Fruit Project developed a methodology for charting the losss of traditional orchards from the Quantock Hills landscape. Using newly digitised tithe mapping, estate records, OS mapping and aerial photography the project was able to show the extent of orchards from the 1837 and the loss of 98% by 2007. The project had a signficant community engagement element that included celebrations of apple culture, folklore, stories, songs and poems as well as recording locations of remaining trees. ... Fallen Fruits Orchard Project Researching the decline of orchards across the Quantock Hills. Start date: 1 April 2011 End date: 31 December 2014 Funding: Arts & Humanities Research Council / Lady Emily Smyth Agricultural Research Station Partners: University of Bristol < Previous Next >