Old Sulehay and Ring Haw

Location - In the northeast of the county west of Yarwell

Where to park - For Old Sulehay park at TL05399837, for Ring Haw park at TL05389803, please park respectfully and keep gates clear. If these parking areas are full there are other laybys along Sulehey Road heading towards Yarwell.

Parking Charge - No

Notable species - Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Green Hairstreak, Purple Hairstreak, Silver-washed Fritillary, Dark Green Fritillary (one of the best sites in the county for this species) and Small Heath.

Managed by the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants the Old Sulehay Nature Reserve complex is one of the best butterfly sites we have in the county. The site is made up of three main areas - Old Sulehay Forest, Stonepit Close and Ring Haw (which includes the Calcining Banks and Sammock’s Hill). Parking areas can be found at the entrance to Old Sulehay which is at the northwest corner of Stonepit Close or on the bend in the road by the access gate which leads down to Ring Haw. There is also a large lay-by on the road east of Old Sulehay with plenty of parking and good access to Old Sulehay Forest.

Key butterflies such as the Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper and the Small Heath can all fly in good numbers in Stonepit Close and also at Ring Haw. Black Hairstreaks are also recorded here although they are a rare sight with the most recent records being at the western end of Old Sulehay Forest. Purple Hairstreaks and Silver-washed Fritillaries can be abundant in Old Sulehay Forest with the Silver-washed Fritillary form valezina being recorded in recent years too. One of the site’s modern-day success stories involves the recent colonization of Dark green Fritillaries into Northamptonshire and they can be seen all over the site. In 2022 Dark Green Fritillaries were recorded in huge numbers although abundance dropped significantly in 2023. The Purple Emperor has also been recorded in Ring Haw and Old Sulehay Forest but to date, records of these remain quite rare.

For more information, including a downloadable leaflet, please visit the Wildlife Trust BCN’s website