A wildlife haven in Penwith

Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Bartinney Nature Reserve is a spectacular treat on Cornwall’s Penwith peninsula.

With views of Mount’s Bay, Land’s End and the Isles of Scilly on a clear day, Bartinney Nature Reserve consists of Bartinney Hill and the surrounding heathland and patchwork farmland that Cornwall Wildlife Trust has acquired since the 1990s. Bartinney Castle, at the summit of the hill, is an Iron Age enclosure surrounded by remains of ancient field systems, settlements and a circular structure believed to be an amphitheatre of sorts. The site’s earliest structures are thought to date from the Bronze Age. The name Bartinney (or Bartinè) means ‘the lighted eminence’, or ‘the hill of fires’ (Bretanow in the Cornish language).

At the start of August 2023, Cornwall Wildlife Trust launched an appeal to raise the funds to secure an additional 53 acres of land neighbouring the nature reserve, to create more space for wildlife. The appeal was a success and thanks to the generosity of Cornish businesses and members of the public, the proposed area of lowland heathland, a habitat rarer than tropical rainforests, has now been added to the site ready to be restored and protected. It will become a vibrant habitat for many species including nightjars, grayling butterflies, adders and numerous bees. Bartinney Nature Reserve supports many of Cornwall’s rare and threatened wildlife species. These include the Tormentil nomad bee, one of the UK’s rarest bees, only recorded at 12 sites around the UK.

Plenty of wildlife can be spotted at the reserve during the winter months. The short-eared owl, unusual amongst owls as it prefers to be out and about during the day, is usually seen here in winter as it escapes the colder temperatures of northern England, Scotland, Scandinavia and beyond. Measuring around 35 to 42cm in length, this owl is mottled yellowy-brown above, paler underneath, and has dark circles around its yellow eyes. As with all owls, a group of this species is known as a ‘parliament’. Other special birds to spot at this time of year include snipe and woodcock. It’s a great place for a walk and for spotting such amazing creatures. If you’re planning a visit with furry friends, please ensure your dog is under close control.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust
Bartinney Nature Reserve, Penzance TR19 6HX
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www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk