Wye Downs is a stretch of chalk downland and woodland located on the North Downs

North Downs

The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...

 near the village of Wye in Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

. The site is a National Nature Reserve

National Nature Reserve

For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...

 owned and managed by Natural England

Natural England

Natural England is the non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved...

 and comprises several coombes formed by periglacial action during the last ice age. The most spectacular coombe is known as the Devil's Kneading Trough.

Over 21 species of orchids have been recorded at the reserve including some of the UK's rarest species.

The Downs are:-
AONB - Area of National Beauty
SSSI - Site of Special Scientific Interest
NGO - Non Governmental Organisation

External links

• Wye Downs NNR on Natural England website