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
Please note we are now a cashless facility.
|
Category |
Price |
|
Children (under 18) |
Free |
|
Adult Day Permit |
£3.50 |
|
Annual Adult Permit |
£20.00* |
|
Annual Adult Permit |
£10.00 |
|
*Friends Of WLNR Members will receive a discount on the first adult permit purchased. |
|
|
Friends of Warnham LNR Annual Membership |
£10.00 per household |
|
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 Cafe is free.
Please note that no dogs, picnics or bicycles are allowed on the Reserve. There is a parking area for bicycles and several picnic tables in the garden and courtyard between the car-park and visitor centre.
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.
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 Heronry and various nest boxes (seasonal)
- Second-hand books, birdseed, 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)
- 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 new 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 and hidden rubbing plates for the youngsters.
- 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
- 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 12 species of amphibians and reptiles, 168 birds species, 25 dragonflies and damselflies, 35 different butterflies, 32 mammals including 7 bats, 472 plant species including grasses, sedges, rushes and ferns, 582 fungi, as well as 758 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 an annual photographic competition. 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.