Nature Reserves

Sarah Lambert

Nature Reserve Access Update

The majority of our nature reserves remain open with free access and we are delighted that support from our members enables us to offer this.

To ensure nature is still there for us in the future as well as right now please keep dogs on leads, follow our Reserve Access Guidelines and the Countryside Code and we respectfully ask that you don't visit a reserve if it is not possible to practise social distancing there without going off the paths.

We are not yet able to welcome back many of our volunteers, so our capacity to monitor sites and manage facilities is limited. We reserve the right to close areas off quickly if we think there is an unmanageable risk to safety or wildlife. Please check individual reserve pages for updates. We are grateful for your understanding.

Become a member to support local nature reserves Full Covid-19 Response update

Reserve Access Guidelines

A-Z lists by county:

Beds reserves Cambs reserves Northants reserves

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Great for

Baby changing facilities

Cafe/refreshments

Disabled toilet

Dogs

Outdoor play area

Picnic area

Shop

Toilets

Visitor centre

Brampton Wood - Sarah Lambert

Brampton Wood

Cambridgeshire's second largest wood is over 900 years old!

Bugbrooke Meadow credit. Edgar Giles

Bugbrooke Meadow

Possibly the most diverse meadow in the county, rich in wildflowers and insects

Cambourne panorama

Cambourne Nature Reserve

A wonderful mix of wildflower meadows, wetlands full of wildfowl and woodlands harbouring rare and special species, all interwoven around a new settlement outside Cambridge.

Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits - Jenny Clark

Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits

Former chalk quarries that now provide a variety of habitats for wildlife.

Chettisham Meadow

Chettisham Meadow

A 'ridge-and-furrow' meadow with a spectacular show of orchids

Marbled white

Collyweston Quarries

An old quarry now transformed into a wildflower haven

Wildflowers

Purple heath at Cooper's Hill Nature Reserve

Cooper's Hill

Bedfordshire's largest remaining area of heathland

Cople Pits - Pat Doody

Cople Pits

Water-filled former gravel diggings, now a series of secluded shady pools

Cut-throat Meadow in bloom

Cut-throat Meadow

Wildflower meadow with woodland strip and pond

Wildflowers

Ditchford Lock frozen

Ditchford Lakes and Meadows (Nene Wetlands)

This link will open on the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs & Northants website.

An important reserve for breeding and winter birds, with frequent visits from otters

Birdwatching