Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve

What it’s like

Bird hides, viewing screens and 8km of gravel trails around the lakes, with a sculpture trail to keep younger legs interested.

This is a proper hide-and-seek reserve, the sort where you creep into a wooden hide and go quiet while you scan the water for something interesting. There are several hides and viewing screens dotted around Blashford Lakes, and 8km of surfaced, waymarked trails linking them all, flat enough for a buggy and rolled gravel the whole way. Younger children who'd rather move than sit still have the Wild Walk trail, with wildlife sculptures to spot along the route, and there's plenty of insect life in the undergrowth if binoculars aren't holding their attention.

It's open Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 4:30pm, and entry starts from £4. There's no booking link, so you just turn up. Give it a couple of hours at least if you want to do a proper loop and stop at a hide or two, longer if you've got a keen young birdwatcher who wants to wait for something to land.

Parking is free, split between the main car park on the north side of Ellingham Drove and the Education Centre car park on the south side, though the main car park has a height barrier, worth knowing if you're in a tall van, and there's off-road parking outside it if you get caught out. The gravel paths are wheelchair and pushchair friendly in general, but it's uneven in places and the hides themselves aren't built for electric buggies, so check that suits before you set off. From 4th October the car parks and Education Centre close on Sundays, though you can still walk in on foot.

Dogs are a separate matter here. Only working assistance dogs are allowed on the main reserve, and pet dogs are restricted to a permissive path between Ivy and Rockford Lakes, reached from the Moyles Court car parks or the Avon Valley path. It's not the place for a dog walk and a nature reserve visit in one go.

Facilities

Need to know

Parking

Main car park on north side of Ellingham Drove

Pushchairs

Pushchair friendly. 8km rolled gravel paths

Wheelchairs

8km rolled gravel paths suitable for wheelchairs

Dogs

Working registered assistance dogs only

• The main car park has a height restricting barrier, so tall vehicles may need the off-road parking outside it
• Hides have ramped access but aren't suitable for electric buggies
• RADAR keys open the accessible gates around the reserve
• From 4th October, car parks and the Education Centre close on Sundays but you can still walk in
• Mobility scooters are available to hire if you arrange it beforehand

Plan your visit

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