Nature Reserves

An undisturbed wild place, Argill Woods Nature Reserve is a tranquil steep sided wooded valley with waterfalls and pools where dippers and pied flycatchers can be seen.

Spring flowers…

Around the remains of old lead smelt mills, species rich grasslands contain a huge variety of different meadow flowers such as orchids, melancholy thistle and devil's-bit scabious.

A fascinating place not only for wildlife but also for geology and industrial archaeology. The damp conditions between spoil heaps are ideal for orchids and the drier slopes are colonised by a…

This upland oak woodland is rich in mosses, ferns and liverworts. Bluebells and wild garlic carpet the wood in the spring and both pied and spotted flycatchers and redstarts are seen.

Diverse range of habitats supports a good number of species of plants, mosses, ferns as well as butterflies, beetles, spiders and moths. This makes an excellent reserve for birds throughout the…

Profusion of flowers on the dune grassland and on the saltmarsh attracts a variety of insects and butterflies. Waders feed on the estuary whilst the dunes and shingle provide nest sites for…

Artic and little tern breed on this island reserve during the summer whilst in autumn and winter it is a great site to see waders.

Limestone woodland provides shade for many species of ferns. Large mounds on the woodland floor are home to southern wood ants.

Once a large freshwater lake this unusual wetland habitat has a number of rare plant species. A speciality of the site here is the delicate bird's eye primrose, whilst other species include…

Ancient woodland with exceptionally rich and interesting range of flowering plants. Coppice management benefits several species of butterfly and part of the nature reserve is a traditional…