Image credit: Richard Allen
We live on such a beautiful island, where natural wonders are seemingly hiding around every corner. You may be aware of those near where you live, be it deer rutting in late summer or starling murmurations over winter. But what about those that are further afield?
The UK is home to so many superb wildlife spectacles, several of these finding solace in the thriving RSPB reserves that are dotted throughout our four countries. With over 200 reserves now managed by the RSPB, you needn’t travel far to find scenes of flora and fauna that will leave you sighing with contentment.
In partnership with the RSPB, we’ve highlighted some of these magnificent natural world sights; from Glenborrodale in the western Highlands down to Franchises Lodge in the New Forest, there is much to behold. Why not see them for yourself and stay in a cottage from our Showcase Collection on an RSPB reserve whilst you’re at it?
Cottages near RSPB reserves
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Image credit: Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
RSPB Glenborrodale – whales, sharks and dolphins
On the southern coast of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula in the Highlands of Scotland, the oak woodland of RSPB Glenborrodale lies waiting. Hugging the shore of Loch Sunart, this reserve will amaze you with over 600 species of flowering plants, more than 70 mosses and in excess of 90 species of lichen. This wildlife-rich area promises opportunities to see pine martins, red deer and otters. Move away from the coast to climb Ben Hiant, the peninsula’s highest point, and you may catch glimpses of golden eagles and white-tailed eagles.
However, the highlight is not on land, but in the water. A surprise, perhaps, given the wealth of fauna found on the ground and in the air. Head west as far as you can go on the peninsula (the most westerly point on the British mainland, in fact) and you’ll find Ardnamurchan Lighthouse. From here, you’ll be able to spot wondrous marine life including basking sharks, minke whales, harbour porpoises and bottlenose dolphins splashing in the sea and entering the sea loch. If you’re having no luck, head south to the Isle of Mull and book a boat trip to see these incredible creatures.
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The Seashell – sleeps 2
A place where seclusion and luxury go hand in hand, The Seashell is a cottage like no other. With its eco-friendly roof and wraparound windows promising resplendent views, this architect-designed hideaway on the shores of Loch Sunart was made for wildlife watching.
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Image credit: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
RSPB Snettisham – pink-footed geese
If you’ve never heard of The Wash in Norfolk, you’d certainly recognise it. An iconic feature of the UK perimeter, this shallow, rectangular bay hosts an enormous number of birds that call RSPB Snettisham home. From late summer, through autumn and some of winter, wading birds in their tens of thousands gather on the salt marshes and mudflats to settle down for the night. This congregation of waders comprises knots, dunlins and oystercatchers, and during particularly high tides, when the mudflats disappear, you could be lucky enough to witness the ‘whirling wader spectacle’ – a cacophony of avian calls and wingbeats that is generated as the birds revolve and twirl looking for a new place to roost.
Between November and January, the Wash welcomes pink-footed geese en masse. Tired from their journey from Iceland and Greenland, up to 40,000 geese roost on the mudflats until dawn when they adopt their well-known V-formation in the air and head inland looking for food. The reverse happens at dusk; at either time of day, it is quite a sight to behold.
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Gannets Rest – sleeps 5
Create your own V-shaped formation and roost at Gannets Rest, an off-grid, beachside bolthole just a stone’s throw from the reserve. Solar panels provide your electricity and you’ll be 20 metres from the beach where you can often see oystercatchers, ringed plovers and avocets.
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Image credit: David Morris (rspb-images.com)
RSPB Haweswater – magical hay meadows
Heading back north to Cumbria, we come to the dramatic mountain setting of RSPB Haweswater in the Lake District. The scenery is second to none, with numerous becks slaloming their way through the rugged landscape to assemble as one at Haweswater Reservoir. During late autumn, at sundown, badgers leave their setts nearby to forage for earthworms and other treats in preparation for winter. Red squirrels might be spotted scurrying up the trees that frame the rushing waters of Swindale waterfall. Ring ouzels and great spotted woodpeckers each make their announcements over the rushing sounds of the rivers that host freshwater salmon.
So much beauty to keep you occupied, yet it is a different natural wonder that might draw you here. The magical hay meadows of mid-summer offer a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours, with wildflowers in bloom and pollinators busily hopping from petal to petal until their task is done. The fields are awash with stunning shades and the hum of the insects creates the perfect orchestral soundtrack. Many different hiking trails can be taken to witness these marvels; you’ll stroll over heathland and moorland on your way through this idyllic landscape.
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Shepherd Hut At High House – sleeps 2
Just 1 mile from the serene shores of Ullswater, this romantic shepherd’s hut is also mere metres from a wildlife pond offering the perfect birdwatching experience. Stay outside as the sun sets, light the fire pit and gaze up at the starry sky. When morning comes, you’ll wake up in your own private bird hide for two. What a way to start the day!
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Image credit: Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
Gwenffrwd Dinas – beautiful birdsong
We’ve already heard the ‘wink, wink’ calls of the pink-footed geese as they take flight and the resonating trill of the waders in Norfolk, but it’s time to take a trip to Carmarthenshire in Wales to eavesdrop on a symphony of beautiful birdsong. RSPB Gwenffrwd Dinas and nearby RSPB Carngafallt are a mecca for avian visitors who fly through the woodland of oak and alder, soaring above the blankets of bright bluebells and colourful lichen.
The reserve sits in a steep valley where rivers carve pathways through woodland. The setting is ideal for many woodland birds and, from mid-April through May, the ancient forest provides the backdrop for a beautiful chorus of bird song. Pied flycatchers, redstarts, wood warblers, tree pipits, common sandpipers, dippers and grey wagtails all call this reserve home and you’ll often spot them gliding over the scrubland or perched on lichen-smothered branches.
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Bethel Villa Lodge – sleeps 2 + 2 dogs
Another cosy hideaway, Bethel Villa Lodge is perfect for a secluded getaway for a couple and their dogs. This custom-crafted cabin has an immaculate garden with a swing chair beside a trickling stream – no need for anything other than natural sounds here. Light the fire pit in the evening, gaze at the stars and roll into the bed in its cosy little alcove.
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Image credit: Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
RSPB Franchises Lodge – colourful butterflies
In 2018, the RSPB purchased the 1,000-acre woodland known as Franchises Lodge. This area, long thought of as a ‘secret forest’, comprises deciduous and conifer trees that, in turn, create homes for a wide range of birds and invertebrates. The crescendo of bird song might rival that of Gwenffrwd Dinas and a chorus of wood crickets can be heard in late summer and early autumn, but here, in the New Forest, the wildlife spectacle we’re after is a different kind of invertebrate: the butterfly.
Warm summer days, from June to August, are the best time to spot silver-studded blue, silver-washed fritillary and marbled-white butterflies flitting through the trees. Speckled wood butterflies may also be seen as you wander through this vast reserve, adding to the spectrum of colourful winged pollinators. As you search for butterflies, you may come across another type of flying insect in the form of dragonflies and damselflies – a truly magical display of winged prowess in this ancient woodland.
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Beaulieu River View – sleeps 2
Take to the sky like the butterflies you spotted earlier in the day when you stay at Beaulieu River View … well, kind of! This enchanting waterside property is built on stilts and blends in naturally with the surrounding trees. You may feel like a roosting bird perched up high as you check out the uninterrupted, panoramic views of Beaulieu River. Use the binoculars provided to bird watch as you enjoy your caper up in the canopy.
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Image credit: Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
RSPB Leighton Moss – otters
Finishing in the north, we travel to RSPB Leighton Moss, home to the largest reedbed in north-west England. This unique habitat provides shelter for a surprising range of wildlife, including the UK’s largest land mammal, the red deer. Perhaps not where you expect to see such a large animal; however, the bracken in this reserve provides good coverage when they don’t wish to be seen. Many birds and other wintering wildfowl find refuge here too, such as bearded tits, marsh harriers, egrets and bitterns who relish the wetland paradise and its reedbeds, mudflats, coastal marsh and saltwater lagoons.
The wetlands of Leighton Moss are the perfect place to spot otters gambolling in the reedbed. Otters can be seen throughout the year, although they are nocturnal, so you’re most likely to catch sight of one at dusk or dawn. They can be found throughout the reserve, but head out towards the wildest part of the nature reserve by Causeway and Lower hides, and you’ll give yourself the best chance to spot an ‘ott’. Join a guided walk at dusk in the summer and stay for the silhouetted opera of the bats as they head out to hunt.
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Coldwell Cottage – sleeps 6
Approximately 3 miles from RSPB Leighton Moss, Coldwell Cottage almost provides you with your very own wildlife reserve. With 35 acres of private grounds full of fields, woodland, streams and ponds, you’ll have to remember that the RSPB reserve is just down the road. Snuggle up by the wood burner inside or have dinners outside on balmy evenings in the covered paved area with garden furniture and a pizza oven.
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Stay near an RSPB reserve
Wake to the dawn chorus and fall asleep to the calls of the wild when you holiday at a cottage near an RSPB nature reserve. You can find cottages near some of the best RSPB birdwatching spots in the UK or you can click the button below and read about our Showcase RSPB collection.
Cottages near RSPB reserves