RSPB Middleton Lakes

What it’s like

Free trails, a play meadow and pond dipping among the reedbeds, with several kilometres of paths for spotting birds.

This is a wander-and-look sort of visit rather than a ticketed attraction. There's a play meadow for building dens, pond dipping if you've brought a net, and several kilometres of signposted trails where the actual draw is whatever's on the water that day. It's free to get in, which makes it an easy one to add to a weekend without the usual soft play sting.

Four of the trails are pushchair accessible and the wheelchair accessible routes come with a couple of picnic benches near the car park, so getting a buggy or chair round isn't an afterthought here. Dogs are welcome too, just not in the play meadow or the signed wetland bits, which is fair enough given what's presumably nesting there.

The toilet situation is the one thing to plan around. There are none actually on the reserve, and the public toilets in the courtyard only run 10am to 4:30pm, closed altogether on Tuesdays. No baby changing either, and the accessible toilet needs calling ahead for. Sort that before you set off rather than an hour into the walk.

Parking's on site but there's a height barrier, so anything over 6'11" needs the out-of-hours spaces instead, and there's no proper drop-off point if you're just nipping in. The visitor centre isn't always staffed, so don't build the day around it. Bring a picnic, there's a café too, and give yourselves longer than you think, the trails add up.

Facilities

Need to know

Parking

On-site car park with height barrier (vehicles over 6'11" use out-of-hours spaces)

Pushchairs

Pushchair accessible on four signposted trails

Wheelchairs

Wheelchair accessible trails with two wheelchair accessible picnic benches near car park

Dogs

Allowed except in Play meadow and some wetland trail areas which are clearly signed

• Sort the toilet stop before you arrive, the courtyard ones shut early and are closed on Tuesdays
• There's no baby changing on site
• Cars over 6'11 need the out-of-hours parking spaces because of the height barrier
• The visitor centre isn't always staffed, so don't rely on it being open
• Bring your own pond dipping net if you can, and a picnic for the meadow

Plan your visit

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