nature reserves
Stanwick Lakes, Northamptonshire: What to see and do
Once a gravel quarry, this nature reserve is a marvellous location for a family outing, where fascinating history, pleasant walks and delightful wildlife converge
Slimbridge Wetland Centre, Gloucestershire: what to see and do
From nest-building kingfishers and singing warblers to flamboyant flamingos, Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve is perfect for a day out with the family. Just don’t forget your binoculars.
Woodwalton Fen National Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire
Visit a quiet corner of the Cambridgeshire country where a rare fragment of ancient fenland offers a home for orchids, damselflies and cuckoos.
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Wyming Brook walk, Peak District
Explore the beautiful rivers, forests and dams of Wyming Brook Nature Reserve on the edge of Sheffield with this two-mile walk.
Wyming Brook, Peak District
Discover Wyming Brook, a gorgeous nature reserve on the outskirts of Sheffield in the Peak District National Park
Glenariff Forest Park, County Antrim walks
Pick from one of two circular gorge walks, each winding beside tumbling rivers and waterfalls through Glenariff Forest Park in Northern Ireland's County Antrim
Snettisham, Norfolk
Watch the sun set over the sea behind swirling flocks of knot on the Norfolk Coast
Walk: Bystock Nature Reserve, Devon
In May, this east Devon reserve hums with signs of deepest spring – songbirds wheel from tree to tree, invertebrates chatter from within the heath and adders bask in the warming sun.
Day out: WWT London Wetland Centre, London
As you explore the weaving trails of this wetland reserve, it is easy to feel as though you are in the middle of a wilderness despite being in the shadow of central London.
Britain's best nature reserves for walks and wildlife
Explore meadows, wetlands, ancient woodlands, moorland, heathlands, coast and mountains with our guide to Britain’s best nature reserves for walks and wildlife.
Day out: Burton Mere Wetlands, Cheshire/Flintshire
Journeys to the England-Wales border where one of the RSPB’s most active reserves hums with honking geese, whistling starlings, and ke-ke-ke-ing hen harriers.
Bike ride: Caerlaverock Castle and WWT, Dumfries and Galloway
One of the most dramatic places to go birdwatching in the UK is the Solway Firth and Caerlaverock Wildfowl and Wetland Trust. Visit this wildlife haven on a 23-mile cycle from nearby Dumfries.
Walk: Leighton Moss and Silverdale, Lancashire
Explore Lancashire’s rugged limestone coast and an wildlife-filled nature reserve on a car-free eco escape
Day out: Spurn Head, East Riding of Yorkshire
Ever-changing sands and a bounty of wildlife make this pendulum-shaped Yorkshire nature reserve one of the most dynamic in Britain.
Day out: Cors Dyfi, Powys
There is more to Cors Dyfi than ospreys – look too for vibrant bog flowers, sunbathing lizards and zipping dragonflies from the reserve’s wheelchair-friendly boardwalk
Day out: Geltsdale Nature Reserve, Cumbria
Spring arrives late in this northerly reserve, but when it does these meadows and moors erupt with an eclectic mix of piping birds
Walk: Snipe Dales and Hagworthingham, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county known for its peaceful places, and nowhere is this truer than Snipe Dales – discover this wildlife-lover's paradise on a stroll through the country park.
Day out: Highnam Woods, Gloucestershire
Settled among the folds and fields of the Severn Vale is a little-known nature reserve, home – on occasions – to the elusive nightingale and its beguiling spring song
Day out: Fen Drayton Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire
There is no guarantee of a partridge in a pear tree, but this RSPB reserve is a birdwatchers’ festive paradise
Day out: Havergate Island, Suffolk
Seemingly tame hares have made a home for themselves near a Cold War nuclear testing site, now an RSPB nature reserve
Day out: Ynys-hir Nature Reserve, Ceredigion
Sheltered between the Eryri (Snowdonia) mountains, the Cambrian hills and Cardigan Bay is Ynys-hir, a patchwork of habitats home to one of Britain’s rarest woodland birds.
Walk: Mersehead, Dumfries and Galloway
This rugged clifftop walk from a pretty village to a beautiful beach is the jewel in the crown of the astonishing Galloway Coast.
Walk: Isley Marsh, North Devon
Take to Isley’s mud and marsh in search of some of Britain’s most striking winter birds
Day out: Rainham Marshes, Essex
Go pond dipping and bug hunting in one of the London area’s most important wildlife sites