Otterhead Lakes

The Anglican Church of St Leonard in Otterford, Somerset, England was built in the 14th century. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Otterford is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated on the Blackdown Hills, 7 miles (11.3 km) south of Taunton. The village has a population of 356.The River Otter rises close to Otterford.

Deadman (grid reference ST234156) is a 28.8 hectare (71.2 acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the edge of the Blackdown Hills, near Buckland St Mary 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Taunton in Somerset, notified in 1987. Deadman is one of the best remaining examples of a mixed valley mire in Somerset. It contains a rich mosaic of wet heath, bog pools and birch/willow carr grading into acid marshy grassland. These communities support several species of plant which are rare in the county. Ground water issues from numerous springs within the greensand producing a locally raised water table and shallow peaty surface horizon. It is at these points that bog communities develop, characterised by the floating leaves of bog pondweed (Potamogeton polygonifolia), bog bean (Menyanthes trifoliata) and marsh St John's-wort (Hypericum elodes). In places this wet heath has undergone a transition to birch (Betula sp.) and willow (Salix sp.) carr. This provides an important habitat for breeding nightingales and grasshopper warblers.

Robin Hood's Butts are a group of nine Bronze Age barrows near Otterford on the Blackdown Hills in Somerset, England. They have been scheduled as ancient monuments.

Royal Air Force Culmhead or more simply RAF Culmhead is a former Royal Air Force station, situated at Churchstanton on the Blackdown Hills in Somerset, England. It had three tarmac runways that are now in poor condition and the control towers are currently derelict. There is now an industrial estate – derived from the later Composite Signals Organisation Station (CSOS) – right in the middle of the place where the three runways meet.

Prior's Park & Adcombe Wood (grid reference ST225170) is a 103.6 hectare (256.0 acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Pitminster in Somerset, notified in 1952. Prior's Park and Adcombe Wood have excellent examples of several of the broadleaved semi-natural woodland types associated with the Blackdown Hills. Additional interest lies in the occurrence of several areas of unimproved marshy grassland. This site, which is partly managed by the Somerset Wildlife Trust, is situated on the north facing slopes of the Blackdown Hills, overlooking the Vale of Taunton Deane.

Staple Hill is a hill in the English county of Somerset, the highest point in the Blackdown Hills. It is classed as both a Marilyn and a Hardy.This is one of the points on the Staple Fitzpaine Herepath a part of Forestry England woodlands.There is a loop walk, starting from the car parking area, of 800m taking in a couple of view points with the paths upgraded early in 2009 to be suitable for disabled access.

Bishopswood Meadows is a nature reserve situated within the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the county of Somerset, England. The reserve comprises five fields totalling 9.3 hectares (23 acres); all of the fields are on a gentle north-facing slope with the River Yarty at the base. The reserve, formerly part of Woodend Farm, was purchased by Somerset Wildlife Trust in 1991–92.

Churchstanton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated within the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, on the River Otter 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Taunton. The parish has a population of 752. The parish includes the hamlets of Churchinford and Burnworthy where Burnworthy Lodge dates from the 16th century and has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II listed building.

Ruttersleigh (grid reference ST250165) is a 97 hectares (240 acres) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Buckland St Mary and Staple Fitzpaine on the north-facing slope of the Blackdown Hills. in Somerset, notified in 1991. This site comprises a mosaic of broadleaved woodland, scrub, bracken, mires and unimproved grassland which provides the habitat for several species of butterfly which are now scarce in Britain. The site is also important for its lichens. The ground flora includes a number of species normally found only in ancient woodland such as woodruff (Galium odoratum) and wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa). Wood horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum), which is rare in Somerset, is abundant and widespread on this site also being found in the areas of bracken (Pteridium aquilinum). The epiphytic lichen flora is also typical of ancient woodland and includes species such as Lobaria pulmonaria. The nationally scarce Opegrapha corticola and the nationally rare Chaenotheca stemonea also occur. The woodland rides and glades provide ideal habitat for the nationally scarce wood white (Leptidea sinapis) butterfly, this site having by far the strongest colony known in Somerset. The grassland provides habitat for the nationally scarce marsh fritillary (Eurodryas aurinia) butterfly. The breeding birds include nightingale (Luscinia megarhyches), common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) and wood warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix). Adder (Vipera berus), grass snake (Natrix helvetica), slowworm (Anguis fragilis) and common lizard (Lacerta vivipara) have all been recorded from the site.

Luxhay Reservoir is an artificial reservoir near Angersleigh, Somerset, England. It is now owned by Wessex Water. It was built in 1905 by the town corporation to provide drinking water for Taunton.The reservoir is fed by other local water sources including Otterhead Lakes and Blagdon reservoir.From 1969 leakage was detected in the retaining dam. This got worse in 1990s remedial works, including a diaphragm wall were undertaken.In 2006 the lake was found to have an intense bloom of Microcystins which was associated high concentrations of cyanotoxins probably associated with eutrophication of nutrient enriched sediments.

Leigh Reservoir, or Leigh Hill Reservoir, is a small reservoir in Somerset, England. It was built in 1893 to supply water to the town of Taunton, Somerset, which lies to the north. Water quality is good.