Moreton-in-Marsh is a market town on the Fosse Way in the north Cotswolds, with the broad limestone plateau stretching in every direction across stone-walled arable and pasture fields. It is the home ground of the North Cotswold BKA, whose members keep bees in one of the most traditionally managed agricultural landscapes in England. Field maple, hawthorn, white clover and sainfoin are the backbone of the season, with bramble in the deeper hedgerows through July.
Collectors here regularly handle swarms in the old stone-walled gardens and orchard boundaries of the High Street and Oxford Street conservation area, in the dry-stone field walls and hawthorn hedges of the farmland lanes towards Blockley and Bourton-on-the-Hill, and in the chimney stacks and stone-slate roof voids of the older Cotswold-stone properties throughout the town.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
GL56 0UN· approx. 7 km
OX15 5HZ· approx. 13 km
Visit websiteCV37 6QW· approx. 22 km
Visit websiteAssociation data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
The Cotswolds give early blackthorn and hawthorn on drystone hedges, with limestone grassland herbs later. The Severn Vale brings oilseed rape, horse chestnut and hawthorn in the valley pastures. The Forest of Dean is the country flavour — sweet-chestnut coppice, holly, bilberry and a late heather patch on the upper heaths. Bramble is universal; lime and sycamore dominate the June streets of Cheltenham, Gloucester and Stroud. A reliable autumn ivy flow on stone-walled churches carries hives into October.
More on beekeeping in GloucestershireReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
