Blaxhall Common Nature Reserve

Dartford warbler - Chris Gomersall/2020VISION

Dartford warbler - Chris Gomersall/2020VISION

Blaxhall Common Suffolk Wildlife Trust

By Steve Aylward

Nightjar - David Tipling/2020VISION

Nightjar - David Tipling/2020VISION

Blaxhall Common Suffolk Wildlife Trust

By Steve Aylward

Stonechat- Vicky Nall

Stonechat- Vicky Nall

Blaxhall Common Suffolk Wildlife Trust

By Steve Aylward

Blaxhall Common Suffolk Wildlife Trust

By Steve Aylward

Blaxhall Common Nature Reserve

Blaxhall Common is a piece of heathland full of birds, butterflies, reptiles and flowers particular to the area

Location

Off B1069 between Tunstall and Snape
Saxmundham
Suffolk
IP12 2EJ

OS Map Reference

TM382566

View on What3Words

A static map of Blaxhall Common Nature Reserve

Know before you go

Size
64 hectares
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Entry fee

Free
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Parking information

Small car parks just off the road cutting bisecting the reserve.

Grazing animals

Seasonal sheep and pony grazing.

Please refer to the links in walking trails below for more information.

Access

Not suitable for wheelchairs.

No drone flying without express permission.
(Permission will only be granted in exceptional circumstances)

If you'd like to visit this reserve as a group, please contact us in advance.

Find out why we ask you to keep your dog on a short lead at most of our reserves and why this is important for wildlife conservation. Why we ask dogs are kept on a lead

Dogs

On a lead

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

May to September

About the reserve

The hypnotic hum of insects on a summer’s day gives way to the strange churring of one of our most enigmatic summer visiting birds, the nightjar, as the sun sinks. The calming, insular feel of this heathland is hard to describe.

It holds an attraction for wildlife too and birds like woodlark, nightjar, dartford warbler, goldcrest, nightingale and stonechat can be found alongside common lizard, adder and plants like heath milkwort, speedwell, heath bedstraw and sheep’s sorrel. In summer small copper, silver-studded blue, common blue and small heath butterflies dance in the clearings while the bold red and white fly agaric, a poisonous mushroom so often portrayed in children’s fairytales, is among the many fungi that appear, as if by magic, in autumn.

The peaceful common is small but full of surprises like winter visiting crossbill and colonies of ant-lion. The site is looked after by seasonal cutting which controls invasive scrub and maintains the medley of habitats. Part of the Suffolk Sandlings, Blaxhall Common is cared for by Suffolk Wildlife Trust on behalf of Blaxhall Parish Council. The Trust also manages the adjacent Blaxhall-Tunstall Link on behalf of the Forestry Commission which is grazed by the Sandlings flock of Hebridean sheep and Exmoor ponies.

Contact us

Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Contact number: 01473 890089

Environmental designation

Natura 2000
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)