| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
| Location | Kent |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | TR 275 453 [1] |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 63.2 hectares (156 acres) [1] |
| Notification | 1986 [1] |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Lydden and Temple Ewell Downs is a 63.2-hectare (156-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north-west of Dover in Kent. [1] [2] It is a Special Area of Conservation [3] and Nature Conservation Review site. [1] It is also part of the 78.5-hectare (194-acre) Lydden Temple Ewell National Nature Reserve [4] [5] and the 90-hectare (220-acre) Lydden Temple Ewell nature reserve, which is managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust. [6] It is in the North Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. [7]
This site has some of the richest chalk downland in the county. The invertebrate community is outstanding, including butterflies such as marbled whites, adonis blue and the very rare silver-spotted skipper. [7] A colony of Periclepsis cinctana , the Dover twist moth, was found at Lydden Temple Ewell in June 2025, the species not having been seen in England since 1952. [8]
There is public access to the site.