Maiden Erlegh Local Nature Reserve
ENTRY
Free
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Reading
What it’s like
Free wander around a nature reserve with a learning booklet to follow and a stretch of water for fishing.
This is a spot for pond-dipping brains rather than a big day-out itinerary. There's a nature reserve learning resource booklet the site points families towards, so you can turn a walk into something with a bit of purpose, spotting what's on the list rather than just trudging round. It's free to get in, which makes it an easy one to slot in on a Tuesday afternoon without any pressure to make it worth the money.
Fishing is the other draw here, though it's not a year-round thing. The season closes from 15th March until 15th June, so if you've got a keen young angler in the family, that's a window to plan around rather than assume you can rock up any weekend you fancy.
Opening hours are Monday to Friday, split into a morning session and an afternoon one with a break in the middle, so this isn't a weekend outing by the look of it. If you're working around school pickup, the 2pm to 4:30pm slot is the one to aim for.
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
Entry is free.
Do we need to book?
There's no booking mentioned, so you'd just turn up during opening hours.
What is there for kids to actually do?
There's a nature reserve learning resource booklet to work through as you walk round, plus fishing if the season's open.
Can we go fishing any time?
Not between 15th March and 15th June, that's when the fishing season is closed. Outside those dates it's open.
What are the opening hours?
Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm and then 2pm to 4:30pm, with a break over lunch.
Featured in 2 Huddlepin lists
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