Month: April 2023

River levels  are now dropping but 3 mm of rain this week and more expected today is not helping. The cold overcast weather is slowing the drying process, we need more sun. Although the meadow now looks green the long grass is hiding 50 to 100mm of water over most of the meadow and all of the paths.

The fritillaries are flowering in these difficult conditions see adjacent picture taken by Natural England’s Reserve Manager when assessing the need for continued closure.

Natural England have temporarily closed North Meadow from 14th April until 19th May and have issued a closure notice and map showing the area of restriction.

It’s disappointing for those of us who would like to see the fritillaries but the soft mud is providing much needed food for lots of birds. Several Little Egrets, a pair of Red Crested Pochards and lots of Black Headed Gulls were feeding on Frogsham Meadow next to the causeway road today.

It is possible Natural England will open North Meadow to the public before 19th May if conditions allow. Check back here for further updates on the condition of the meadow.

River levels remain high but are now reducing after 6 days without rain in the last week. Natural England have temporarily closed North Meadow from 14th April until 19th May and have issued a closure notice and map showing the area of restriction.

The closure will be in place until the floodwaters have receded and ground conditions have improved to such an extent that people accessing the site will not cause damage to the sensitive habitats for which the site is internationally important.

Cricklade Bloomers Fritillary Tea Room will still be open this weekend if you are in Cricklade and would like some light refreshments. It is run by volunteers and all proceeds will be used to fund the floral displays in Cricklade.

The meadow will dry quickly after a few days of warmer dry weather. It is possible Natural England will open North Meadow to the public before 19th May if conditions allow. Check back here for further updates on the condition of the meadow.

River levels remain high after the rain over the last 7 days. Natural England have therefore decided to temporarily close North Meadow from 14th April until 19th May and have issued a closure notice and map showing the area of restriction.

The closure will be in place until the floodwaters have receded and ground conditions have improved to such an extent that people accessing the site will not cause damage to the sensitive habitats for which the site is internationally important.

Cricklade Bloomers Fritillary Tea Room will still be open this weekend if you are in Cricklade and would like some light refreshments. It is run by volunteers and all proceeds will be used to fund the floral displays in Cricklade.

The meadow will dry quickly after a few days of warmer dry weather and it is possible Natural England will open North Meadow to the public before 19th May if conditions allow. Check back here for further updates on the condition of the meadow.

Very little rain for 4 days and the river levels have started to drop. The picture of North Meadow entrance above was taken today. Unfortunately the meadow is in full flood and still inaccessible. Please do not visit to see the snakes head fritillaries this weekend.

After a very dry February we have had 138 mm of rainfall in March, 2.5 times the 10 year average for March in this area. North Meadow does not normally flood in April but it is part of the functional floodplain and therefore normal for it to flood after heavy rainfall.

We expect there to be an opportunity to see the snakes head fritillaries later this month. Please check in here in a few days for a further update on the meadow conditions. You can find out more about the river levels on our river levels monitoring page.