Sheep and cattle grazing at Badbury Rings
Dorset’s chalk downland is an iconic but threatened landscape. Discover how we are protecting Badbury Rings through careful use of grazing animals.
Badbury Rings is important not just as an Iron Age fort, but also as a chalk grassland habitat. It supports many nationally rare species, from wildflowers to butterflies to birds.
The shallow soil makes this habitat extremely fragile and difficult to cultivate. Traditionally, chalk grassland was grazed by sheep and cattle; grazing different animals creates a mix of tall and short vegetation, where wild flowers can thrive and provide abundant nectar for butterflies and insects, which in turn feeds birds such as skylarks and corn bunting.
We use rare breed Portland sheep and Kingston Lacy’s Red Ruby Devon cattle to maintain this habitat. During autumn and winter (September-February), animals are moved around the ramparts using three different ‘compartments’, created with electric fencing. This mimics natural herd behaviour, where animals graze an area quite tightly for short periods before moving on. It also means the grassland has long rest periods, which leads to improved soil health, greater grass resilience and better animal health.
You will see signage explaining where you can and cannot go during this period, and we ask that you keep dogs on a lead. Sheep are particularly vulnerable to dogs, especially when pregnant.
Between March and August there will be no grazing animals. However, this is the most important period for ground-nesting birds, many of which are endangered and easily spooked so please keep your dog on a lead.
Our work on the estate at Kingston Lacy
Discover how Kingston Lacy is encouraging biodiverse, resilient habitats for nature, yet with opportunities for people to explore the landscape.
Visiting Badbury Rings with your dog
The paths and fields around Badbury Rings are great for dog walkers. Find out the best places to walk, plus where and why to keep dogs on the lead or under control.
Our conservation work at Kingston Lacy
Conservation work both indoors and out is a vital part of what the National Trust does at Kingston Lacy. Discover more about our latest initiatives.
