Bell Sykes Hay Meadow Walk

This walk guides you through flower-rich meadows at Bell Sykes Farm. These meadows are deignated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of the wide variety of meadow species that they contain. This set of meadows is one of the most important in Lancashire due to the large number of fields all in one place. The best time to walk is from late May and June through to when the meadows are cut in late summer. You will be able to see a wide variety of species flowering, starting with meadow buttercup and yellow rattle, followed by hawkbits, meadow cranesbilll, meadowsweet, great burnet, meadow vetchling and knapweed. On a sunny day you will also see a huge number of insects, butterflies and feeding swallows.

The meadows at Bell Sykes are the Coronation Meadows for Lancashire, chosen for their species diversity and public access. Green hay harvested from these meadows has been used to restore over 50 hectares of meadow both here and in other parts of Bowland.