College Lake nature reserve

College Lake is a 65 hectare nature reserve in a former chalk quarry in Pitstone in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire. It is one of the flagship reserves of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, and it has an information centre, education facilities, a café, toilets and a shop.[1] It is in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[2] The area east of the lake is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest called Pitstone Quarry.[3][4]

A chalk cutting machine preserved from the site's days as a chalk quarry

The site has more than a thousand species of wildlife on the lake, marshland and grassland. Rare species include Lapwings, which nest on islands in the lake, and redwing. The marshes are an important habitat for breeding waders. The grassland has a variety of flowers, which support a variety of insects, birds and mammals.[1]

There is access from Upper Icknield Way.

References
  1. "College Lake". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  2. "College Lake Nature Reserve". Chilterns Conservation Board. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  3. "Pitstone Quarry citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  4. "Map of Pitstone Quarry". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 9 October 2015.

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