Meeth Quarry Nature Reserve

Meeth Quarry nature reserve is home for a diverse range of wildlife and a wonderful place for people to explore.  It is easily reached on foot or by bicycle from the Tarka Trail.  The Trail actually cuts through the centre of the nature reserve just one mile in from the southern end at Meeth.

Tufted Duck

Unlike any other Devon Wildlife Trust nature reserve, Meeth Quarry’s industrial past has dramatically shaped its present. For almost a century it was a series of busy clay quarries and mines. The legacy of this industry has created a particularly diverse landscape and today, two enormous lakes and piles of clay spoil dominate its features. Elsewhere there are ponds, woodlands, bogs and grasslands.

Banded Demoiselle

These days you will find many dragonfly and damselfly in the nature reserve, countless butterflies including wood white, grayling and green hairstreak, skylarks, geese and ducks, including the tufted duck and shoveler.  Look out also for Brown Hare in the sparse open areas of the reserve.

Brown Hare