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Castle Bottom National Nature Reserve which has been designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) is a large valley bog just south of Yateley which is home to many heathland birds, mammals and insects. Site Manager Andy Davidson took us on a guided winter walk through the reserve pointing out the site's wildlife and some of the feathered friends who've taken up residence amongst the gorse, heather and bracken.
 | | Site Manager, Andy Davidson |
"A Special Protection Area is a European designation for protecting certain bird species, the ones this site is set aside for are Nightjar, Woodlark and Dartford Warbler", explains Andy: "When I first got here 14 years ago, the woodland had grown up over what was the open common land and it was solid woodland all the way across. Those particular birds won't exist in that habitat so we cut down the trees. "Then, because there was a mat of leaf litter sitting on top, to get the heather to grow we had to strip that away to expose the [heather] seeds in the soil which can survive for up to 90 years, and as soon as they got sunlight, they began to germinate."
 | | Castle Bottom is a haven for wildlife. |
There are the ruins of two small farmers' cottages on the northern boundary of the site, which were lived in until the early 1960’s and as Andy explains have now been taken over by foliage:
"They were lived in back in the late 50's, just edging into the early 60's. It's amazing how quickly it's grown over. There was a bungalow and a cottage which was a two storey building, but what people expect a cottage to be is a big three storey timber thing, rather than this which is probably the size of your average sitting room." Clearance work at the nature reserve has also revealed what is thought to be a burial mound probably from the Bronze Age. But with the heathland's naturally acid soil it's unlikely to hold anything (or anyone!): "When we first got here this was a big pine block which we cleared out and scraped. But we left this mound because we thought it was a burial mound, and it is. This area is around 3,000 - 4,000 years old. The stumps that are around the rim are typical of the Victorians who liked to make them look a little bit romantic by planting pine trees around the rim.
 | | The Burial Ground |
"It's very unlikely that there's anything in there because they didn't go in for a lot of grave goods and if they did, it wouldn't have been gold. There might have been a bit of pottery or a bit of flint, but the ground is so acid here that virtually none of the bone would survive."
There is no parking as such at the nature reserve, but it is possible to park at Blackbushe Airport and walk to the heathland from the footpath running along the back of the airfield. The site is accessible for walkers only and has a network of footpaths running across the site, making circular walks. Castle Bottom used to be maintained by commoners, the heathland is now preserved and run by Hampshire County Council as the commoners didn't renew their rights to the land. If you fancy getting fit and helping with the site, there's a 'Green Gym' at Castle Bottom - a group of volunteers who meet on the last Sunday of every month to take part in practical conservation work on the heathland. If you'd like to take part contact Mike Mann 01252 877741. | 
