Minchinhampton Common, Protected grassland area in Gloucestershire, England
Minchinhampton Common is a protected grassland site on a limestone plateau in Gloucestershire covering about 182 hectares. The land slopes steeply down into the Nailsworth Valley and Frome Valley, creating different habitats for specialized plants and animals.
The site contains structures from multiple periods, including Iron Age fortifications called the Bulwarks and burial mounds from the Neolithic era. These remains show that people have lived in and used this area for thousands of years.
Local landowners exercise traditional grazing rights inherited from practices older than England's enclosure system. This custom continues to shape how the land is used and maintained today during the grazing season.
Between May and October, cattle graze freely across the common, so drivers need to watch carefully and travel slowly. Keep an eye out for animals on the paths and allow plenty of time if you are driving through the area.
Quarries on the site hold significant marine fossils from the Bathonian period, making it an important location for studying the Middle Jurassic. Scientists and fossil hunters visit to examine evidence of ancient seas that once covered this region.
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