The Rough

The Rough Devon Wildlife Trust nature reserve

The Rough. Photo, Andrew Taylor

The Rough

A reserve with a diverse flora and abundance of butterfly species.

Location

3 miles north of Honiton
Nr Honiton

OS Map Reference

ST 178 040
A static map of The Rough

Know before you go

Size
4 hectares
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Entry fee

No
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Parking information

Park in National Trust car park
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Grazing animals

Yes
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Walking trails

Steep gradient in places and terrain is rough, boggy and wet in areas. Visitors should be prepared for some difficult walking allow 30 minutes to see this site.

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Access

Very wet and rough ground, few defined paths. Steep gradient in places and terrain is rough, boggy and wet in areas. Contact the Trust for disabled access information

Dogs

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When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

April to October

About the reserve

This reserve consists of damp unimproved grassland with a small area of woodland. The grassland supports a diverse flora with a wide variety of grasses and sedges. There are over 17 recorded species of butterfly, including small pearl-bordered fritillary and marbled white. Buzzard, sparrowhawk, green and greater spotted woodpecker are regularly seen.

 

Ash dieback

The disease ash dieback is now widespread in the UK and is present at many of our nature reserves, so we carry out tree felling across our sites in winter months. For your own safety please observe temporary path diversions and closures.

Where possible we will leave affected ash trees in place to decay naturally as an important habitat for wildlife. We plan to only fell diseased ash trees which pose a threat to people or infrastructure. Before trees are felled, we will check whether any rare or protected wildlife is present. If it is, we will postpone or avoid felling these trees. No felling will take place during the bird nesting season.

DWT’s Saving Devon’s Treescapes project are working with communities, landowners and businesses to help make Devon's precious treescapes more resilient in the face of ash dieback. Find out how you can get involved here.

 

NOTICE: If you are visiting our reserves, please note that there have been instances of H5N1 Avian bird flu found in birds in Devon. There is very low risk to public health, but we do ask that if you come across any unusual or unexplained bird deaths on or near our reserves, please do not touch them and avoid allowing your dog to come into contact with dead birds. Please report them to Defra here or call 03459 335577 and also report your findings to DWT by email at contactus@devonwildlifetrust.org.

Contact us

Devon Wildlife Trust
Contact number: 01392 279244

Location map

Explore our 50 nature reserves