Dunstable and Whipsnade Downs

Dunstable and Whipsnade Downs

Site of Special Scientific Interest
Location	Bedfordshire
Grid reference	TL006199 SP 998187
Interest	Biological
Area	73.4 hectares
Notification	1985
Location map	Magic Map

Dunstable and Whipsnade Downs is a 73.4-hectare (181-acre) Site of Special Scientific Interest in Dunstable in Bedfordshire. It was notified in 1987 under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and the local planning authority is Central Bedfordshire Council. It is in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and part of it is owned by the National Trust.^[1][2][3]

Dunstable Downs is the highest point in the east of England, and it has five thousand year old burial mounds and a medieval rabbit warren.^[4] The site is a 3 kilometre long steep escarpment between Dunstable and Whipsnade. The slopes have a typical chalk downland flora, and there are also habitats of scrub and tall herbs. The site is also important for butterflies.^[1]

There is access from the Chilterns Gateway Centre on Whipsnade Road.^[3]

References

1. "Dunstable and Whipsnade Downs citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
2. "Map of Dunstable and Whipsnade Downs". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
3. "Dunstable Downs and the Whipsnade Estate". National Trust. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
4. "Dunstable Downs". The Chilterns Conservation Board. Retrieved 25 August 2015.

51.869°N 0.54°W / 51.869; -0.54