Wildlife and Nature Reserves
At one of our many national nature reserves you can get up close and personal with rare species of beetles, spiders and butterflies. Search for rare flowers, mosses and ferns, and spot bats, woodpeckers and even owls. Together our nature reserves represent a total area of around 94,400 hectares and encompass a huge variety of English wildlife and geology. As well as preserving some of our most pristine natural environments, the reserves offer a sublime way of experiencing our natural heritage, from coastal marshes, dunes and cliffs to lowland heaths and bogs. Get your binoculars ready!
Take a wind-whipped voyage of discovery with RIB Request
Sit back and feel the wind fly through your hair as you speed out to sea on a RIB Request boat trip.
Location: Ramsgate, Kent
Take in magnificent views from Bempton Cliffs
Bempton’s towering chalk cliffs skyrocket to over 100 metres (109 yards) in points, with awe-inspiring views overlooking the coast of East Yorkshire.
Location: Bempton, East Yorkshire
Dee Estuary to Hilbre Island
A two-mile walk across the sand from West Kirby, the Dee Estuary is an oasis of wildlife.
Location: Hilbre Island, Merseyside
Go seal and puffin spotting on the Farne Islands
Visit Farne Islands to see thousands of seabirds and a huge Grey seal colony.
Location: Farne Islands, Northumberland
Bird watching in St Bees
The largest seabird colony on the west coast of England is at St Bees Head.
Location: St Bees, Cumbria
Take a visit to Looe Island
Looe Island Nature Reserve is a haven for diverse and fascinating wildlife, from silver-washed fritillaries to grey seals.
Location: Looe, Cornwall
Go sailing in Scilly
Indulge in an exotic island escape… just off the Cornish coast.
Location: Isles of Scilly, Cornwall
Seal watching in Arthur Ransome’s ‘Secret Water’
Explore Walton’s ‘Secret Water’, the setting for Arthur Ransome’s ‘Swallows and Amazons’ book.
Location: Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex
Enjoy an eco-friendly stay in green and pleasant Dorset
Come and enjoy Dorset’s incredible scenic beauty and rich wildlife this spring on a sustainable seaside holiday.
Location: Dorset
Comb Sussex’s thriving coastline for fossils and marine life
A Marine Conservation Area, this unspoilt coastline at the foot of the South Downs National Park offers thriving marine life and fossils galore.
Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex
Explore Lancashire's great coastline
With its stunning sunsets, wonderful wildlife and infinite skies, Morecambe Bay is a photographer’s dream.
Location: Fleetwood, Lancashire
Journey to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne
A visit to history-rich and beautiful Lindisfarne, cut off twice daily from the rest of the world by fast-moving tides, is an adventure not to miss.
Location: Lindisfarne, Northumberland
See thousands of cute puffins on the Farne Islands
Around 150,000 breeding pairs of seabirds make the Farne Islands their home each summer. Hop on a boat to see and hear them up close!
Location: Farne Islands, Northumberland