Surely there is no better place to be on a warm summer’s day than on a chalk downland nature reserve enjoying spectacular views of the English countryside.

Here are just two of our favourite Wildlife Trust nature reserves.

Broughton Down nature reserve, near Stockbridge

This steep-sloped nature reserve is best enjoyed from its peak, which offers incredible views across the Test Valley to Danebury Hill Fort and Stockbridge Down. Don’t forget to look beneath your feet too, for the chalk grassland is alive with plants and insects.

Plants found on the reserve include horseshoe vetch, wild thyme and common rock rose as well as pyramidal and frog orchids.

Get a little closer and you may spot the bloody-nosed beetle plodding through the grass. This round, black beetle is so-called due to its unusual defence mechanism; it exudes a distasteful, blood-red fluid from its mouth to deter predators!

In summer, large numbers of butterflies skip from flower to flower; including chalkhill and adonis blue butterflies, as well as the striking dark green fritillary and rare silver spotted skipper.

The down is fringed with mature woodland offering shelter to tawny owl, kestrel, buzzard and great spotted woodpecker.

The area is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) but has archaeological interest too, with interesting features such as its ancient droveway and round barrow.

The western end of the reserve includes the round barrow known as ‘Plum Pudding’ – an ideal spot to sit and enjoy the view.

St Catherine’s Hill nature reserve, near Winchester

Standing proudly on the edge of Winchester, St Catherine’s Hill is a fantastic spot to enjoy wildlife, ancient monuments and the most spectacular views over the city and its surrounding countryside.

Flower-rich chalk grassland cloaks this hill, which is home to the delicate flowers of musk orchid, frog orchid and autumn lady’s tresses.

Other wild flowers, such as rock-rose, salad burnet and wild thyme supply plentiful food for dazzling downland butterflies like the chalkhill blue, brown argus and small blue.

When the M3 was cut through Twyford Down and the old A31 Winchester bypass was buried, adjacent arable land was converted to chalk grassland and we were able to expand the reserve.

These seeded areas are now the most colourful parts of the reserve from May to September.

Rising about 70m above the River Itchen floodplain, this hilly chalk outcrop rewards those who tackle the 100 steps to its peak.

The ramparts of the former Iron Age fort are the most conspicuous sign of thousands of years of human occupation. Buried ruins of a Norman chapel give the site its name and several rectangular burial mounds along Plague Pit Valley mark the location of mass graves.

Look out too for the mizmaze – one of England’s eight surviving historic turf mazes.

Find out more about how to visit these and other nature reserves at http://www.hiwwt.org.uk/nature-reserves