The North Meadow and Thames Path

From the Town Bridge you can head to Cricklade’s internationally famous North Meadow which is about a 10 minute walk away, either via the High Street or the Thames Path. The North Meadow is an ancient hay meadow, one of the finest lowland meadows in Europe, and is now a National Nature Reserve covering 44 hectares, or about 108 acres. It is situated between the Rivers Thames and Churn and is famous for being home to about 80% of Britain’s wild snakeshead fritillaries. The plant takes its name from the shape of the flower bud before it opens and the markings on the flower petals. Their continued existence is thanks to the ancient system of land tenure and management that is still practised to this day. In April the meadow is a sea of hay meadow flowers and grasses which are cut for hay after 1st July when the flowers have set seed. From August to February, commoners can graze animals on the land. Winter flooding of the meadow also encourages the grasses and flowers to grow. Today the Court Leet is still involved in the running of North Meadow which is also managed by Natural England.

Note: Please check access to North Meadow on the town council website as the meadow can sometimes be closed if conditions are not suitable for public access.