Abbotsbury: The Only Managed Swannery in the World
South West, England
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Abbotsbury Swannery
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250
XP
1 day
Abbotsbury: The Only Managed Swannery in the World
250 XP
On the Fleet, the lagoon behind Chesil Beach, Abbotsbury keeps the only managed swannery in the world: a colony of mute swans that can number more than 600 birds and around 150 pairs. Written records go back to 1393, but it is thought the Benedictine monks of the abbey founded here in the 11th century set it up, to keep swans for their banquets. The birds are used to people and let visitors come close even when there are cygnets on the nest, and they are fed at noon and at four. On the hill between the village and the sea stands St Catherine's Chapel, a 14th-century pilgrimage chapel, and the village also has subtropical gardens.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Walk through the swannery among the nesting mute swans
2
of 5
Be there for a feeding session at noon or four, when the swans gather round
3
of 5
Climb the hill to St Catherine's Chapel, the 14th-century pilgrimage chapel
4
of 5
Walk the subtropical gardens
5
of 5
Look out over the Fleet and Chesil Beach
Walk through the swannery among the nesting mute swans
Be there for a feeding session at noon or four, when the swans gather round
Climb the hill to St Catherine's Chapel, the 14th-century pilgrimage chapel
Walk the subtropical gardens
Look out over the Fleet and Chesil Beach
Before you go
The swannery is open from mid-March to the end of October, and the cygnets hatch between mid-May and the end of June.
Keep a respectful distance from nesting swans — they defend their young.
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XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
250 XP
Potential total
250 XP
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