Warburg Nature Reserve, BBOWT

What it’s like

Free woodland reserve where kids follow a backpack trail spotting rare butterflies, orchids and birds from the hides.

This is proper wild woodland, not a visitor centre with animals in pens. The main thing to do is the Nature Detectives Trail, a backpack of games and spotter sheets that gets kids looking for things rather than just walking past them. There's also a mile-long Wildlife Walk if you fancy stretching that out, and a couple of bird hides worth ducking into if anyone in your group likes sitting still and watching.

The real draw for the sharper-eyed kids is the butterflies. Purple hairstreak and silver-washed fritillary both turn up here, and between April and August you get orchids too, including the fly orchid and the bird's-nest orchid, which look odd enough to hold a seven-year-old's attention for a minute. None of it is flashy, and that's rather the point. It suits kids who like being told what to look for and then finding it themselves, more than kids who need something to climb.

It's free to get in, which is a proper bonus for a reserve this size, and the Nature Detectives Trail is self-paced so you can make it a twenty-minute dash or a slow morning depending on who's with you. There's a picnic area if you want to bring lunch, and dogs are welcome as long as they're on a lead, since this is a working nature reserve and the wildlife comes first.

The one thing to know before you drive in is that the access lane is heavily potholed and uneven, so a low car is going to have a rough time of it. Worth going slow. A few paths might be closed here and there too, as they're clearing trees affected by ash dieback, so don't expect every route to be open on the day.

Facilities

Need to know

Best for

Kids who like spotting things, roughly 5 upwards

Parking

Car park on site. Uneven potholed lane, low cars at risk

How long to allow

Children can follow the Nature Detectives Trail at their own pace

Picnics

Picnic area available at reserve

Wheelchairs

Two Trampers available to hire (electric scooters)

Dogs

On a lead

• Best time for orchids is April to August
• Two Trampers (electric scooters) are available but must be booked ahead and need an accompanying adult aged 16+
• Bring a picnic, there's an area set aside for it
• The access lane is rough enough to worry about low-slung cars

Plan your visit

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