Foulshaw Moss

image of Foulshaw moss landscape -copyright ian alexander waite

Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve © Ian Alexander Waite

Ospreys use Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve as a nesting site. Visit for free.

Location

Off the A 590
Near Witherslack
Cumbria
LA11 6SN

OS Map Reference

1:50,000. Sheet 97
Reserve car park:
Grid reference: SD 458 837

Getting here:
By car:
From Kendal take A590 towards Barrow-in-Furness. At the end of the dual carriageway at Gilpin Bridge, continue for 1km/0.6 miles. Immediately before a signed parking layby on the west-bound carriageway, a track leaves the road. Go through the gate and follow the track until a small car park is reached.

From Grange/Barrow-in-Furness on the A590, pass the junction for Witherslack and continue for 0.6km/0.4 miles. The track to the reserve is on the right immediately after the parking layby. Please take care when turning into the reserve from this direction, as the road can be extremely busy.

By bicycle:
The reserve is on National Route 70 Walney to Wear (W2W) and National Route 700 The Bay Cycleway.

By public transport: 
Buses run from Barrow-in-Furness, Ulverston, Newby Bridge, Grange-over-Sands and Kendal to Witherslack.

View on What3Words

A static map of Foulshaw Moss

Know before you go

Size
350 hectares
P

Parking information

Small parking area on site

Bicycle parking

Yes

Grazing animals

There are no grazing animals on the reserve

Walking trails

From the car park there are various routes along boardwalks, one of which which crosses one of the best areas of remnant vegetation to a viewing platform (1.5km/1 mile).

Access

Take care! No access off the boardwalks as the ground off the path is very soft and there are areas of deep water.

Ticks and adders are present on the reserve in large numbers.

Dogs

On a lead

When to visit

Opening times

Open all year round

Best time to visit

April to September

About the reserve

A precious peat bog

Peat has formed over thousands of years from the remains of the humble bog plant Sphagnum moss.

These remains, halted from decaying fully due to waterlogging and acidity, have eventually built to form a dome of peat that’s higher than the surrounding land.

Drainage and tree planting in the 1950s–60s meant much of the wetland wildlife was lost, but these species are now returning following the Trust’s ambitious 15-year restoration of the site. 

What makes Foulshaw Moss so special? 

Lowland raised mires like Foulshaw Moss are one of Western Europe’s rarest and most threatened habitats.

Around 94% of this unique habitat has been destroyed or damaged in the UK, so these remaining areas are incredibly important for a range of wildlife.

Water-loving Sphagnum mosses, carnivorous sundews, cranberry and bog-rosemary are just some of the plants that thrive here, creating a living carpet of colour that’s interspersed with the soft white heads of cottongrass in early summer.

These mossy hummocks and pools provide essential nesting and feeding ground  for wetland birds such as moorhen, snipe and the elusive water rail, whilst birds of prey including hobby, sparrowhawk, buzzard and peregrine take advantage of the abundance of prey.

Foulshaw Moss is an incredibly peaceful nature reserve that offers something special for all wildlife enthusiasts.

Although the landscape is challenging, boardwalk makes visiting easy-going, with routes leading through peaty pools or out onto the open moss where many different butterflies, moths and insects are found.

Wildlife highlights

  • A pair of ospreys breed here in the summer – enjoy the sight of these majestic birds of prey from the viewing platform as they soar above the moss
  • An abundance of dragonflies and damselflies, including the rare white-faced darter and emperor dragonfly, can be seen around the many pools
  • Listen for the secretive water rail or head onto the boardwalk to spot tree pipit, stonechat, snipe and teal
  • Look for the nationally scarce argent & sable moth which flies during the day 
  • Spring – Green hairstreak butterflies fly in May, tree pipits and stonechats display over the bog, warblers and cuckoos sing in the woodland, ospreys return from Africa.
  • Summer- Huge numbers of dragonflies including the rare white-faced darter dragonfly, large heath butterflies, lizards, adders & nesting ospreys.
  • Autumn- Heather flowering purple, migrating birds include ospreys passing through in September, red deer rutting.
  • Winter – Both marsh harrier and hen harrier visit the site, large numbers of snipe and teal arrive, and red deer can be seen from the raised platform.

Habitat restoration   

In partnership with Natural England, the Trust has been carrying out significant habitat restoration works which aim to raise water levels and secure the long term future of Foulshaw Moss.

Conifer trees have been removed from around the edges as they have served to dry the peat and excavators have blocked drains and created small low bunds that retain water on the bog.   

Following the completion of restoration works, improvements to parking and access will be made, with new walkways and signage planned. 

Slowly we are seeing the characteristic bog vegetation of Sphagnum moss, cotton grass, cranberry and bog rosemary reclaiming the site.

White-faced darter reintroduction

The white-faced darter is a specialist dragonfly only found in acidic pools on lowland peat bogs.

During the late twentieth century huge swathes of habitat were lost and the white-faced darter was reduced to just two known sites in Cumbria.

In 2010 a joint project with the British Dragonfly Society enabled larvae to be taken from the remaining site and reintroduced to pools at Foulshaw Moss, where they had lived prior to drainage of the bog for forestry in the 1950s.

A total of 55 adult dragonflies were recorded emerging from the introduction pools in 2011. By 2016 numbers were close to 2,000, which is a fantastic success for this rare dragonfly.

Recent history

Foulshaw Moss was purchased in 1998 with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Since then, a number of additional areas have been acquired. 

Contact us

Paul Waterhouse
Contact number: 01539 816300

Environmental designation

Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
Special Areas of Conservation (SAC)
Not especially large but very interesting to visit. On the weekend we went there were volunteers helping you catch a sight of the ospreys, which had recently hatched out a couple of chicks. There were other animals about too e.g. stonechat, dragonflies and common lizards which my daughter found especially exciting. The path is boardwalk all round and there is a raised viewing platform as well as 2 other hides, one of which had feeders set up to view the birds.
Emma, visited in August

Take a virtual tour of Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve

Did you know?

White-faced darter dragonflies have declined significantly and are found at only a handful of sites in Cumbria. Our partnership with the British Dragonfly Society helped successfully reintroduce them here in 2010.

A top down view of magazines and guides on a wood background, with wildlife and people images on the front
Protect nature - Join us!

Support our conservation work on this nature reserve

and protect wild places & wildlife in Cumbria.

  • Free entry to our nature reserves.
  • Free nature reserve guide.
  • Cumbrian Wildlife magazine three times a year with accompanying 'What's On' guide.
  • Plus more! From just £3.50 a month/£42 a year (based on Individual membership)
Click to choose your membership
Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve

Tony Shaw

Make a difference for Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve

Donate to help ospreys & other wildlife at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve
£
Type of donation

Upcoming events at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve

If there are any upcoming events at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve we'll show them to you below.

Further information about Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve

Thanks to individuals and funders who made a donation to make this project possible.

Foulshaw Moss funders logo
lake district national park authority logo
Yorkshire bank logo
Bags of help - Tesco logo - 200px wide