Mole Gap to Reigate Escarpment
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Headley Heath | |
| Location | Surrey |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | TQ 194 526[1] |
| Interest | Biological Geological |
| Area | 1,016.4 hectares (2,512 acres)[1] |
| Notification | 1986[1] |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Mole Gap to Reigate Escarpment is a 1,016.4-hectare (2,512-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Reigate in Surrey.[1][2] It is a Geological Conservation Review site[3] and a Special Area of Conservation.[4] Part of it is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I.[5] Two small private nature reserves in the site are managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust, Dawcombe[6] and Fraser Down.[7]
This eight mile long site on the North Downs contains an outstanding range of wildlife habitats, including large areas of woodland and chalk grassland. Mole Gap has a variety of Quaternary landforms and there are well developed river cliffs where alluvial fans have diverted the River Mole against the valley sides.[8] Some of the chalk grassland is CG2 sheep's fescue - meadow oatgrass community, which is one of the most species-rich types of grazing pasture found in Britain,[9][10] but the SAC is also designated for CG3, CG4, CG5 and CG6 grassland types.[11]
References
- ^ a b c d "Designated Sites View: Mole Gap to Reigate Escarpment". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ "Map of Mole Gap to Reigate Escarpment". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ "The Mole Gap (Quaternary of South-East England)". Geological Conservation Review. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: Mole Gap to Reigate Escarpment". Special Areas of Conservation. Natural England. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ^ Ratcliffe, Derek, ed. (1977). A Nature Conservation Review. Vol. 2. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 117–18. ISBN 0521 21403 3.
- ^ "Dawcombe". Surrey Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ "Fraser Down". Surrey Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ "Mole Gap to Reigate Escarpment citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ Kathryn Killner (18 July 2025). Juniper Hill Kingswood Surrey NVC Survey July 2025.
- ^ Rodwell, J.S. (1992). British Plant Communities, vol. 3: Grasslands and montane communities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-39166-0.
- ^ "Dry grasslands and scrublands on chalk or limestone (Semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies: on calcareous substrates (Festuco-Brometalia), ( note that this includes the priority feature "important orchid rich sites"). ) - Special Areas of Conservation". sac.jncc.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2026.