Totternhoe Knolls

Totternhoe Knolls is a free-access nature reserve near Dunstable, managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire on land owned by Central Bedfordshire Council and leased to the National Trust. The reserve covers flower-rich chalk grassland that grew up on spoil heaps from centuries of Totternhoe stone quarrying (the same durable chalk used in Westminster Abbey), crossed by green lanes that were once drove roads to Dunstable. At the Knolls, the steep grassy ramparts of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle, a Scheduled Monument, form an impressive approach to the site and are great for children to explore. In spring the grassland is dotted with cowslips and violets; in summer it is full of orchids and butterflies, including the small blue, which Totternhoe is the best place in the county to see. Open at all times with free access; dogs welcome on a lead. Tracks can be muddy in winter and slopes slippy in wet weather. Best time to visit April to September.