Visiting Nature Reserves

Leaving litter can trap and entangle wildlife. Mammals like hedgehogs and birds like swans frequently suffer injuries as a result of getting caught up in rubbish. Please put your litter in a bin or take it home with you - this will help wildlife and create a better space for human visitors too!

All dogs must be kept on a lead at all times on Wildlife Trust nature reserves in order to minimise disturbance to wildlife, as well as to ensure that visitors can see and enjoy the wildlife. When dogs are off lead, it reduces the breeding success of species that we work tirelessly to encourage onto our nature reserves. 

Always pick up after your dog - bacteria in their poo can cause illness in grazing animals and harm children too. Some of our nature reserves have red dog bins, but if you can’t find one please take bagged waste home with you.

Please stick to the paths on all our nature reserves. This is particularly important between March and July when ground nesting birds are extremely vulnerable. Their main threat is from disturbance, be that unwitting walkers or determined dogs straying off the path. Keeping to the paths also helps beautiful wildflowers like bluebells and orchids to bloom and provide food for pollinators.

The fish on our nature reserves are food for other wildlife. Fishing not only means these animals have less food available, but it also disturbs all the creatures and plants that live in the water and on the banks. 

Wild camping is not permitted on any of our sites. Camping can disturb wildlife and damage the sensitive habitats our nature reserves are there to protect.

Swimming in our nature reserves disturbs threatened wildlife like kingfishers and damages habitat such as riverbanks and tree roots. These wild spaces are not managed with the safety of swimmers in mind, so there is also a risk of injury or illness. 

Fires and barbecues can easily get out of control, especially in the dry summer months. Wildfires destroy the homes of all kinds of wildlife, especially those that can’t easily move out of the way, like lizards and dormice. 

Please be sure to close gates behind you on our nature reserves. This is particularly important where livestock are present. Our grazing animals are there to help wildflowers flourish, so please help us keep them safe. 

Bikes can compact and damage the soil and harm wildflowers – impacting all the wildlife found on our nature reserves. Consider your impact on our sites while you visit and help us conserve wildlife by not cycling in areas with signage asking you not to.