The Wildlife Trusts’ nature reserves

The Wildlife Trusts safeguard and care for more than 2,200 nature reserves. Many have a visitor centre where you can find out more about the reserve, get some refreshment and buy wildlife-friendly goods too.

Whilst our prime purpose for managing reserves is the conservation of wildlife, we are keen for people to have the opportunity to share in their beauty. 

In woods and meadows, on heaths and moors, mountain and downland, and along our varied coasts, we invite you to experience the natural world by visiting our reserves.

BCNP Wildlife Trust	Cheshire Wildlife Trust	Dorset Wildlife Trust

How to find nature reserve near you

Go to the green feature box on the right of this screen.

You can find the nature reserve nearest to where you live or where you want to visit.  Simply enter a postcode, the nearest town, or county, in the yellow box.  This will map the 50 nearest Wildlife Trust reserves in that local area.  Hover over a reserve marker to find out the name and brief details about the reserve. For more information, including habitat and facilities on offer, click on the reserve name.

More in-depth information can be found by visiting the relevant Wildlife Trust's own website.  Of course, if you are a member, your local Trust will provide you with a comprehensive list of reserves, plus leaflets which tell you all about the nature reserves in the area.

Gwent Wildlife Trust	Suffolk Wildlife Trust	Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust

What are nature reserves?

Apart from certain coastal areas, little of our countryside is natural - it has been influenced by man for many thousands of years.  And, in fact, this management is often the reason behind the great variety of wildlife we see today.

Nature reserves are places where wildlife – plants and animals - is protected, and this often means continuing with or restoring the old-time practices which originally helped to make them wildlife-rich. 

One example is the coppicing of woodland.  When the last ice age eased, a tangled wildwood spread across much of the lowlands.  This was cleared for farming and, by medieval times, the remaining woodland was patchy.  Much of it was worked as "coppice" - every seven to ten years trees and shrubs were cut down to stumps which threw up a new head of straightish branches or "small wood".

Strengthened by the open light after the cut, woodland flowers flourished and many woodland reserves are now coppiced to encourage, for example, carpets of bluebells.  Nightingales like the dense low growth of new coppice but tend to leave when it becomes more mature, after around seven years.

There are places such as quarries, canals railway cuttings which, although originally industrial, have become populated by a variety of plant and animal life.  Some are now nature reserves or form part of one.

Many of our members have built wildlife habitats in their own back yards, blending traditional garden plants with wild plants to encourage wildlife to visit their gardens.

Nature Reserves - information for visitors 

At most reserves we ask visitors to keep to marked paths and trails.  

This is to ensure disturbance to wildlife is kept to a minimum and that plants or fragile habitats do not suffer heavy trampling.   It is also for your safety as many reserves are on steep hillsides, cliff tops or along tidal estuaries.

The Wildlife Trusts are continually working to improve facilities for visitors, building new bird hides and improving trails.

Families and school children

Families and school children are welcome at all nature reserves.  Some reserves even have special facilities and events.  Please contact your local Wildlife Trust to find out more.