Sands Bank Local Nature Reserve and Local Wildlife Site

View location of Sands Bank Local Nature Reserve and Wildlife Site on My Wycombe

We have leased Sands Bank Local Nature Reserve (LNR) from West Wycombe Estates since 1993. It is managed to promote biodiversity whilst maintaining public access, ensuring everyone can enjoy the wonders that can be found here.

Area profile

Sands Bank LNR lies at the western end of High Wycombe overlooking the Sands Industrial Estate and is a great haven from the hustle and bustle below and a gateway into the wider countryside.

Best time to visit

Sands Bank LNR has a lot to offer throughout the year. A visit in mid July on a sunny day is recommended as there are hundreds of butterflies and a wide variety of flowers growing on the chalk grassland bank.

Wildlife in the area

The south facing chalk grassland bank is a great sun trap making it a particularly good site for cold blooded creatures such as the common lizard, slow worms, 30 species of butterflies and yellow meadow ants whose hills can be found throughout.

The poor soil found on the grassland also gives opportunities for a wide variety of flowers to thrive including the rare chiltern gentian, a local speciality that would be swamped by fast growing nutrient demanding plants on other sites.