Coulters Dean

Butterfly Orchid

Muslin Moth

5 Spot Burnet Moth

Green Hairstreak and grass Vetchling

Dingy Skipper and Germander Speedwell

Latticed Heath Moth and Horseshoe Vetch

Hornet

COULTERS DEAN

Size

4 hectares

Entry fee

Donations welcome

Parking information

Park at Buriton Pond.

Grazing animals

Sheep in autumn

Walking trails

Unsurfaced bridleway runs through the reserve, which can be wet and muddy. Gently sloping ground throughout. Gate into grassland has steep 1m slope. Some bare chalk that is slippery when wet.

Access

Contact the Trust for disabled access information.

GU31 5RX takes you to the Five Bell pub in Buriton.
From the A3 just south of Petersfield (travelling both north and south) turn left onto the B2070 towards Petersfield. At the roundabout go straight over for Buriton.

Bus stop: Buriton House (1 mile). Petersfield to Buriton route (Countryliner). Walk towards the village pond then follow the directions below.

Park at Buriton Pond. From the pond take a footpath across the bottom of the meadows behind the church, turning right along an old cart track known as the Milky Way, up onto the South Downs (3/4 mile). When you reach a road turn right and after 150m the reserve entrance is on the bend.

Dogs

Under effective control

No dogs in fenced enclosure due to sensitive wildlife.

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

In the summer this reserve comes to life with Clustered Bellflower, Round-Headed Rampion and Small Scabious.

About the reserve

This small woodland and chalk grassland haven is a valued refuge for a number of scarce butterflies and plants. The bridleway running through the reserve links with the South Downs footpaths, which you can follow if you are looking for a longer walk.

Coulters Dean nature reserve is home to Small Blue butterflies, Green Hairstreaks and Chalkhill Blues. There was a time a few years ago when the nationally rare butterfly the Duke of Burgundy was found on site. However it hasn't been seen here for many years, and is probably extinct, despite that there is adequate areas of scrubby downland and good areas of Cowslips, scattered around the downland. The grassland is spectacular in the spring and summer, with beautiful drifts of colour from the wildflowers carpeting the meadow, where you may see up to 11 species of wild orchid. If you look closely, you might see the interestingly named Cheese Snail, so called because its shell resembles a round loaf of cheese.

Common Spotted Orchid

A male Duke of Burgundy (pictured right) in a very hot spell in fact the first heatwave of 2025. The male was noted along one of the main hedgerows, and was seen several times and another male was identified later on in the morning. In the early part of the afternoon a female waa seen in more scrubby areas probably looking for suitable egglaying sites.

It has to be said that the butterfly is not easy to see at this site, as the terrian does not lend it self to easy identification of these rare insects. However they seem to have become once again established at this site. Probably from a female laying eggs on the site after wandering from nearby sites on Harting Down

The Duke of Burgundy re-establishes itself....

Could the Duke of Burgundy ever return to this site? yes it was seen in 2023 (3) individuals by the transect recorder and the South Downs ranger. It was also noted in 2024 and 2025 on a Field Trip

The site is known for some rare Orchids and these can be seen if you know where to look White flowering Helleborines, Pyramidal and Early Purple Orchids are also seen.