Bride Valley BCA

Biodiversity Character Areas have been developed by DERC to sit alongside Landscape Character Areas. They describe the landscape type and land use, main semi-natural habitats present and highlight species, species assemblages and features of particular interest.

A common frog amongst mosses

Click here for a list of Key Species

The Bride Valley extends for 11-kilometres from Little Bredy in the east to Bothenhampton in the west. The southern edge of the chalk scarp forms the northern boundary in the east, with limestone and sands forming steep-sided hills between Shipton Hill and Bridport. The coast road from Burton Bradstock to Abbotsbury Castle following a low limestone ridge forms the southern boundary. The valley itself is a mixture of clays and limestone and dominated by agriculture with cattle and sheep farming plus some arable and maize. The fields vary in size and form irregular patterns, with many bordered by hedgerows with a thin scattering of hedgerow trees. There is very little species-rich, semi-natural grassland remaining in the valley with the few small remnants present either on slopes or in wet areas along streams and around springs. In the west of the area there are fragments of limestone grassland between Burton Bradstoack and Bothenhampton including in Wanderwell Quarry Local Nature Reserve.

Woodland is concentrated around Ashley Chase and Puncknowle in the southeast of the area with several smaller woods and plantations widely scattered down the valley. The woodlands support a rich flora, including the uncommon Green Hellebore and Thin-spiked Wood-sedge, plus a wide range of woodland invertebrates.

The River Bride itself is fed from springs originating at the junction of the chalk, Greensand and Gault at Little Bredy and flows west to Burton Bradstock entering the sea at Burton Freshwater. There are several smaller streams that feed into the Bride from spring below the chalk scarp to the north and limestone to the south. Aerial photographs show that several old water meadow systems were once present alongside the river. Settlements are small villages with many houses built out of the limestones (Corallian, Forest Marble & Inferior Oolite) from local quarries.

The Bride Valley BCA falls within the Bride Valley Landscape Character Area (clay valley) and covers 3,390 hectares.

Summary of Key Features

  • River Bride and small tributaries and associated habitats
  • Ancient woodlands around Ashley Chase and Puncknowle

Issues:

  • Loss and fragmentation of semi-natural grasslands
  • Loss of field and hedgerow trees with no replacements
  • Enrichment of road verges with rank nutrient rich vegetation replacing semi-natural grassland vegetation
  • Enrichment of watercourses

Species assemblages of importance within the BCA

  • Plants of ancient woodland
  • Plants of wet woodland
  • Lichens of old growth woodland
  • Lichens of mature and veteran wayside and pasture trees
  • Woodland birds
  • Woodland bats
  • Plants of rush-pastures & fen-meadows
  • Plants of species-rich hedgerows & hedgebanks
  • Invertebrates of species-rich hedgerows & hedgebanks
  • Plants of old droves, green lanes & Holloways
  • Breeding farmland birds
  • Wintering farmland birds