Devil's Dyke Restoration Project

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Cross section of Devil's Dyke (photo: James Fisher) click to enlarge

Welcome to the home page of the Devil's Dyke Restoration Project's web site. The Devil's Dyke is the finest Anglo-Saxon earthwork of its kind in the country and is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM). It also contains chalk grassland of international importance and has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and part is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The Dyke stretches in a near perfect straight line for 7 ½ miles (12 km) from the Fen edge at Reach, across the open chalk landscape near Newmarket and towards the more wooded landscape on the clay ridges, ending at Ditton Green. The impressive monument reaches to around 4 metres below present ground level and up to 6 metres above present ground level. Although much of the Dyke is under private ownership, there is a public footpath that runs the whole length of the Dyke. One of the best places to see the Dyke's size is on Galley Hill near Burwell, where it is about 10.5 m (34 feet) high from the base of the ditch to the top of the bank.

The Devil's Dyke Restoration Project was set up in 2002 to restore the site to its former glory and establish a sustainable management regime along the dyke. During the first 5 years, thanks to Heritage Lottery Funding, the project was able to:

• Protect and enhance areas of good quality chalk grassland and its associated species, through the re-introduction of traditional grazing and a new mowing regime.
• Remove the majority of encroaching scrub and use a seed spraying technique to establish a grass sward on the slopes where dense scrub has been removed
• Improve access for visitors by providing quality furniture (steps and gates), suitable on-site interpretation and leaflets
• Provide 'intellectual access' to the Dyke by giving talks, guided walks, creating a web site and providing education/info packs

Over the next 5 years the project will be seeking to consolidate these improvements through a programme of regular and co-ordinated management. The Devil's Dyke Restoration Project is a partnership scheme involving Natural England, English Heritage, Cambridgshire Wildlife Trust and Cambridgeshire County Council's Countryside, Archaeological and Farms Units, working with landowners and managers and local residents. To discover more about the local area why not also visit the web sites for Burwell, Dullingham, Newmarket, Reach and Woodditton.