Rodborough Common, Gloucestershire

Rodborough Common is a large area of unimproved calcareous grassland, at the edge of the Cotswold escarpment, to the south of Stroud; a flat ridgetop about half a mile across at its widest part, with steep slopes on all sides except to the south, where it is connected to the main part of the high ground, and the nearby Minchinhampton Common.

Like Selsley Common to the west, on the far side of Nailsworth Valley, the place is very popular for walking, exercise, picnics and nature viewing, and is a particularly good wildflower location, with over ten orchid species found here, including the rare fly orchid, frog orchid, musk orchid and sword-leaved helleborine.


All the flat part of the common, the highest area, is underlain by oolitic limestone from the Salperton Formation, while across the sloping sides are three other strata, the Aston Limestone, the Birdlip Limestone, and the Lias Group, though the rocks are exposed only in a few places; nearly all is grassy, plus a few patches of trees on the plateau and thin belts of woodland curving across some of the lower slopes. Several old quarries are scattered across the common, potential locations to find fossils.

This site has been owned by the National Trust since 1937, and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Most of the plateau has always been common land apart from three sections towards the center, which were once arable fields though have since been developed, with houses, yet the remainder is still in a natural state.

The Common

An unnamed road crosses Rodborough Common from north to south, climbing steeply from Stroud town centre, through a patch of trees, past some of the old quarries and out to the grassland, the majority of which lies to the west. There are four main parking places along the way, and many paths, across all areas. The most scenic and botanically rich section of the common is along the west edge, where the views stretch across the Severn Vale to Wales, and the land falls away to a series of undulating basins, or dry valleys, the sides of which harbour many of the rare plant species, and numerous insects. The rim of the plateau is over one mile long, and several hours could be spent exploring. The flat part of the common is less good for flowers since the grass is much thicker, the soil richer. This section is seasonally grazed by cattle.