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Ovingham

The Spetchells Chalk Grassland

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The Spetchells Chalk Grassland

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  • Location: Ovingham, North East England, England, United Kingdom

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    July 24, 2025

    Cycling

    The Spetchells are three elongated man-made mounds of chalk waste, created between 1941 and 1967 as a by-product of an ICI factory in Prudhoe, which produced ammonium sulphate for fertilizers and explosives. Although originally industrial waste, they now form Northumberland's largest chalk grassland habitat, supporting rare flora and fauna such as solitary bees and the endangered Dingy Skipper butterfly. They are part of Tyne Riverside Country Park, where they are managed by local voluntary conservation groups.
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    February 5, 2022

    Cycling

    The Spetchells are chalk waste heaps from a chemical factory that operated on a nearby site until the mid-1960s. The name comes from old maps that refer to this area of land as the ‘spetchells’.
    Although the heaps are not natural, they now provide Northumberland's largest area of chalk grassland habitat. The wide range of flowers attracts many species of common and, occasionally, rare butterflies
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    Elevation 10 m

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    Wednesday 6 May

    15°C

    1°C

    29 %

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    Max wind speed: 13.0 km/h

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    Location: Ovingham, North East England, England, United Kingdom

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