About the reserve

An area of open heath and mixed woodland located along the Greensand Way, this reserve includes the sites of Hambledon Common, Buss’s Common, and Hambledon Hurst.

Sitting in the Surrey Hills National Landscape, the reserve features lovely views of the South Downs and High Weald and is easily accessible from nearby Hambledon village.

The heathland areas host the UK's three most common heather species of Ling, Bell and Cross-leaved Heath, alongside both Common and Dwarf Gorse. The heathland also provides ideal habitat for ground-nesting birds such as the Woodlark and is an important site for reptiles, including the rare Sand Lizard, which was re-introduced in 2012.  

The reserve also features extensive areas of woodland, where a wide variety of fungi can be found during autumn. A number of woodland ponds can also be found in these areas. 

In earlier centuries the area was a site of sand extraction for building and glass-making. Flint tools have also been discovered on the Common which date from the Neolithic and Mesolithic eras up to 10,000 years ago.