About the reserve

Chalk grassland is rare in Norfolk. Although this reserve is small and effectively a short straight path, a keen naturalist can easily spend hours exploring this fascinating and unusual site. Once supporting the railway line from King’s Lynn to Dereham, this raised bank now sustains a range of interesting plants, including orchids and chalkland flowers.  

This unique nature reserve is one of the best sites in the county for butterflies, with thirty species recorded here. It is one of the few places in Norfolk where the dingy skipper butterfly can be found. This small butterfly, which is in severe decline, has a mottled grey-brown appearance and can be seen flitting about in May and June. You might also spot the day-flying lace border moth, which is more commonly associated with the chalk hillsides of the South Downs. Narborough Railway Lane is the last remaining home of this species in Norfolk.