The Ridgeway Dew Pond Project

These shallow, usually circular ponds were created by generations of farmers to provide drinking water for livestock grazing up on the Downs where few alternative water sources exist. The name dew pond is a misnomer. It was once thought that these ponds were replenished by the morning dew; today it is accepted that they are fed by rainfall or surface runoff down slopes. Traditionally, these ponds were dug and then lined with clay, which created a barrier between the precious water and the porous chalk below. The ponds would fill in the winter and hold water throughout the drier months.

Dew ponds are more than just reminders of traditional farming. They are part of the cultural heritage of chalk downland, telling the story of how people adapted to and shaped this distinctive landscape. Some ponds are hundreds of years old, connecting us to past communities in these culturally significant landscapes.

Today, their importance extends far beyond livestock. A dew pond can become a miniature wetland, providing drinking water, breeding sites and shelter for a huge diversity of wildlife. Frogs, newts, dragonflies, water beetles and other invertebrates have been observed to utilise such ponds. Birds including Yellow Wagtails, Corn Buntings, Linnets and Stone Curlews also use them, especially in the breeding season when there are few other water sources around. The abundance of insects around the ponds also provides important food sources for these birds. Deer and even otters have been seen to use them in the summer months. Sadly, many historic dew ponds have been lost or fallen into disrepair as farming practices have changed and there has become less reliance on dew ponds for watering livestock. This, in turn, means fewer water sources for wildlife in these dry landscapes, which, with our ever-changing climate, will put further pressure on rare and iconic species that call the chalk downlands home.

To overcome this, the Ridgeway Farmer Cluster have developed the Ridgeway Dew Pond Project to restore and create dew ponds across the cluster, providing water sources and reconnecting people with the past.They aim to create a network of ponds to support the movements of farmland bird species and wildlife, as well as to help increase the breeding success of these iconic species. We are grateful for the North Wessex Downs National Landscape and the Bransbury Trust, who have already supported this project.