Visit
Opening Hours
Visitor Centre and Herons Rest Café are open every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Reserve
April-September from 10am to 5pm
October-March from 10am to 4pm
Every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Visitor Centre and Herons Rest Café
April-September from 10am to 4pm, last orders for hot drinks 3.45pm
October-March from 10am to 3pm, last orders for hot drinks 2.45pm
Every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Facilities include baby changing facilities and disabled toilet and these are open until the time the Reserve closes. Click here for contact details and directions.
Admission Charges From 1st April 2026
Please note we are a cashless facility.
|
Category |
Price |
|
Children (under 18) |
FREE |
|
Adult Day Permit |
£4.50 |
|
Annual Adult Permit (Can include complementary Membership of the Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve) |
£21.00 |
|
Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve Annual Membership for those without an annual permit |
£10.00 per person |
|
HDC Leisure Access Card Holders |
50% discount of day and annual permits. |
|
Special Events |
Event Charges may apply |
Admission to the Visitor Centre and Herons Rest Café is free.
Please note that no picnics or bicycles are allowed on the Reserve. There is a parking area for bicycles and several picnic tables in the courtyard.
Accessibility/Disabled Access
- Disabled access toilets with baby changing facilities.
- Disabled parking spaces for blue-badge holders
- Wheelchair friendly path from the car park to Visitor Centre
- Most of the Reserve, including the bird hides, is accessible by wheelchairs in dry conditions.
- Assistance dogs are welcome as long as they are formally identified as such.
Visitor Centre Facilities & Herons Rest Café
Entry to the Visitor Centre & Herons Rest Café is free. The Visitor Centre houses:
- Information boards, a gallery and has exhibits by local photographers and artists.
- Live camera feeds from various nest boxes and underwater (seasonal)
- Second-hand books, wildflower seed, booklet sales
The Herons Rest café offers hot and cold drinks and a small selection of snacks. These can be enjoyed at the tables inside the visitor centre, as well as those, in the courtyard and garden.
Other facilities include:
- Ample free parking, including coaches (on request), height barrier is 2m and is locked. Higher vehicles can park in the layby opposite the entrance.
- Picnic facilities adjacent to the Visitor Centre.
- Free Wi-Fi
- Toilets, including disabled, and baby-changing facilities.
- Defibrillator
Out on the Reserve
On the Reserve you will find the following:
- The Discovery Trail- made up of easy access footpaths, bridges, extensive boardwalks – highlights areas of interest, history, habitat, site management and wildlife, as well as fun facts for all.
- The “Attree”, “Heron” and “Aston Trelford” hides which all overlook the Millpond.
- The Woodpecker hide focusing on the birdfeeders and woodland wildlife
- The Sandpiper Hide overlooking a scrape and focusing on wading birds
- Bullfinch screen overlooking a small pond and birdfeeders
- Water Rail screen overlooking a small pond and the top of the Millpond
- Walnut Tree Plantation
- Butterfly Ride
- Wildflower meadow (seasonal access)
- Several ponds
- Boldings Brook with adjacent boardwalk
- Stag Beetle Loggery
What you might see
The diverse mix of habitats attracts a wealth of plants and animals with species of amphibians and reptiles, various birds species, dragonflies and damselflies, many different butterflies, mammals including bats, plant species including grasses, sedges, rushes and ferns, fungi, as well as species of moths. The reedbeds are good for warblers and water rails.
The woodlands are home to owls, sparrow-hawks and roe deer and winter flocks of siskin and redwing. The grassland is particularly good for insects such as the migrant clouded yellow butterfly and six spot Burnet moth. The water habitats from the large Millpond to the smaller ponds and Boldings Brook have a wealth of wildlife from dragonflies to cormorants, teal, herons and fish. The beautiful Kingfisher makes the most of the waters and are regularly seen from the waterside bird hides.
Find out more about the wildlife.
Events/Get Involved/Volunteer
A full programme of activities is available throughout the year for both children and adults, including pond dipping, bird ringing, guided walks. For those wanting to get more involved, there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer, however little or much time you have to offer. Find out more about What’s On.