List of National Nature Reserves in England
Encyclopedia
This is a list of current National Nature Reserves in England
. Sites formerly notified, such as Braunton Burrows
in Devon are not included.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Sites formerly notified, such as Braunton Burrows
Braunton Burrows
Braunton Burrows is a sand dune system on the North Devon coast. Braunton Burrows is a prime British sand dune site, the largest sand dune system in England. It is particularly important ecologically because it includes the complete successional range of dune plant communities, with over 400...
in Devon are not included.
Bedfordshire
- Barton HillsBarton Hills, BedfordshireBarton Hills are situated southeast of the village of Barton-le-Clay in the English county of Bedfordshire. They are part of the Chilterns and hiking routes are marked on maps at the entrance to the hills. From the foot of the hillside, a spring marks the start of a chalk stream river...
- King's Wood, Heath & Reach
- Knocking Hoe
Cambridgeshire
- Barnack Hills & Holes
- Bedford Purlieus
- Castor Hanglands
- Chippenham Fen
- Holme Fen
- Monks WoodMonks WoodMonks Wood is a woodland in Cambridgeshire, England. It was designated a National Nature Reserve in 1953 and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It has been described as "one of the best examples of ancient ash-oak woodland in the East Midlands"....
- Upwood MeadowsUpwood MeadowsUpwood Meadows are owned and managed as a nature reserve by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough Formerly jointly managed with Natural England...
- Wicken FenWicken FenWicken Fen is a wetland nature reserve situated near the village of Wicken, Cambridgeshire, England.It is one of Britain's oldest nature reserves, and was the first reserve acquired by the National Trust, in 1899. The reserve includes fenland, farmland, marsh, and reedbeds...
- Woodwalton Fen
Cumbria
- Bassenthwaite LakeBassenthwaite LakeBassenthwaite Lake is one of the largest water bodies in the English Lake District. It is long and narrow, approximately long and wide, but is also extremely shallow, with a maximum depth of about ....
- Blelham Bog
- Clawthorpe Fell
- Cliburn MossCliburn MossCliburn Moss is a National Nature Reserve located northwest of the village is a of Cliburn, in the county of Cumbria, England. It contains a mixture of bog and heath, produced by a hollow in the glacial valley, and by the human activity of peat cutting....
- Drumburgh Moss
- Duddon Mosses
- Finglandrigg Woods
- Gowk Bank
- Great Asby Scar
- Hallsenna Moor
- High LeysHigh LeysHigh Leys is located to the south east of Rowrah in Cumbria , along the C2C cycle route prior to Sheriffs Gate.The status of National Nature Reserve was awarded to High Leys due to its meadow status and the traditional hay-making and grazing methods employed during the land's working lifetime....
- Moor House-Upper TeesdaleMoor House-Upper TeesdaleMoor House-Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve covers 7,400 ha of the Pennine moors in the north of England. It straddles Cumbria and County Durham. It was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1976....
- North Fen
- North WalneyNorth WalneyNorth Walney is a National Nature Reserve on Walney Island, England. The island is an esker. The reserve has an area of 646.5 ha and protects a sand dune system which supports a large number of Natterjack Toads....
- Park Wood
- Roudsea Wood & Mosses
- Rusland Moss
- Sandscale HawsSandscale HawsSandscale Haws is a National Nature Reserve on the Duddon Estuary, Cumbria, England. It is managed by the National Trust. The reserve's sand dunes support a population of Natterjack Toads, a species which is nationally rare in Britain....
- Sandybeck Meadow
- Smardale Gill
- South Solway Mosses
- Tarn Moss
- Thornhill Moss and Meadows
- Walton Moss
- WhitbarrowWhitbarrowWhitbarrow is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserve in Cumbria, and forms part of the Morecambe Bay Pavements Special Area of Conservation due to its supporting some of the best European examples of natural limestone habitats...
Derbyshire
- Biggin Dale
- Calke Park
- Derbyshire Dales
Devon
- Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs
- Berry Head - Sharkham Point
- Black-a-Tor Copse
- Dawlish WarrenDawlish Warren National Nature ReserveThe Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve is a National Nature Reserve near the village of Dawlish Warren in south Devon, England. It is part of the Exe Estuary Special Protection Area, and sits on a sand spit which runs across the mouth of the estuary....
- Dendles WoodDendles WoodDendles Wood is an area of protected oak-beech woodland located on the southern edge of Dartmoor, in the English county of Devon. Forming part of the Dartmoor Special Area of Conservation, the wood is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and 30 hectares of it has been designated a National...
- Dunsdon Farm
- East Dartmoor Woods and Heaths
- Slapton LeySlapton LeySlapton Ley is a lagoon on the south coast of Devon, England, separated from Start Bay by a shingle beach, known as Slapton Sands.It is the largest natural freshwater lake in South West England....
- Wistman's WoodWistman's WoodWistman's Wood is one of three remote copses of stunted oaks on Dartmoor, Devon, England. It lies at an altitude of between 380–420 metres in the valley of the West Dart River near Two Bridges, at grid reference SX613770....
Dorset
- Arne Reedbeds
- DurlstonDurlstonDurlston is an area of Swanage, in England. The area was developed by George Burt as a residential suburb, and includes many large Victorian villas as well as modern developments.The area also includes Durlston Country Park....
- Hambledon HillHambledon HillHambledon Hill is a prehistoric hill fort in Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale five miles north of Blandford Forum. The hill is a Chalk outcrop, on the south western corner of Cranborne Chase, separated from the Dorset Downs by the River Stour....
- Hartland Moor
- Hog Cliff
- Holt HeathHolt Heath, DorsetHolt Heath is a common situated four miles north-east of Wimborne Minster in east Dorset, southern England, close to the village of Holt. The reserve includes dry and wet heathland, bog and ancient woodland. The common has several nature conservation designations: National Nature Reserve,...
- Holton HeathHolton HeathHolton Heath is an area of the parish of Wareham St. Martin, Dorset, England. The area includes a trading estate, on the site of the former Royal Navy Cordite Factory, Holton Heath, . East of the trading estate is the Holton Heath National Nature Reserve, currently closed to the public.The area is...
- Horn Park Quarry
- Morden Bog
- Stoborough Heath
- Studland and Godlingston Heath
- Valley of Stones
Durham
- Cassop ValeCassop ValeCassop Vale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Durham City district of County Durham, England. It lies between the villages of Bowburn and Cassop, 7 km south-east of the centre of Durham.....
- Castle Eden DeneCastle Eden DeneCastle Eden Dene is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserve in the Easington district of County Durham, England. It is located immediately south of Peterlee, between the A19 and A1086 roads....
- Derwent Gorge & Muggleswick Woods
- Durham Coast
- Moor House-Upper TeesdaleMoor House-Upper TeesdaleMoor House-Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve covers 7,400 ha of the Pennine moors in the north of England. It straddles Cumbria and County Durham. It was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1976....
- Thrislington
East Riding of Yorkshire
- Lower Derwent Valley
- SpurnSpurnSpurn Point is a narrow sand spit on the tip of the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England that reaches into the North Sea and forms the north bank of the mouth of the Humber estuary. It is over long, almost half the width of the estuary at that point, and as little as wide in places...
East Sussex
- Castle HillCastle Hill, BrightonCastle Hill is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Brighton, England. Although Brighton is a Unitary authority, English Nature classify it under East Sussex...
- Lewes Downs (Mount Caburn)
- Lullington HeathLullington HeathLullington Heath is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserve within the South Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in the county of East Sussex, England. It is of interest because of its uncommon habitat of chalk grassland and chalk heath....
- Pevensey LevelsPevensey LevelsThe area known as the Pevensey Levels is a Site of Special Scientific Interest notified under Section 28 of theWildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is an area of marshland situated between Bexhill in the east, Pevensey in the west and Hailsham in the north...
Essex
- Blackwater EstuaryBlackwater EstuaryThe Blackwater Estuary is the estuary of the Essex River Blackwater in south-east England.Oysters have been harvested from the estuary for more than a thousand years and there are remains of Anglo-Saxon era fish traps. At the head of the estuary is the town of Maldon, which is a centre of salt...
- Colne Estuary
- DengieDengieDengie is a village and civil parish in the Maldon district of Essex, England, with a population of 135.It gives its name to the Dengie peninsula and hundred and to the Dengie Special Protection Area....
- Hales Wood
- Hamford Water
- Hatfield ForestHatfield ForestHatfield Forest in Essex, England lies between the parishes of Little Hallingbury and Takeley, and covers 1,049 acres of woodland, grassland with trees, lake and marsh. It is approximately 40 minutes north east of London by car, just off Junction 8 of the M11 motorway. Bishop's Stortford and...
- Leigh
Gloucestershire
- Cotswold Commons & Beechwoods
- Highbury Wood
- Lady Park Wood
- The Hudnalls
Hampshire
- Ashford Hangers
- Ashford HillAshford HillAshford Hill is a village in Basingstoke and Deane, Hampshire, England.-Governance:The village of Ashford Hill is part of the civil parish of Ashford Hill with Headley, and is part of the Kingsclere ward of Basingstoke and Deane borough council. The borough council is a Non-metropolitan district of...
- Beacon HillBeacon Hill, Warnford, HampshireBeacon Hill, Warnford, Hampshire is a chalk hill in the South Downs on the boundary of the parishes of Warnford and Exton. Part of the hill is a National Nature Reserve and biological SSSI, first notified in 1979.The hill-Location:...
- Butser HillButser HillButser Hill is a chalk hill and one of the highest points in Hampshire. It is also the highest point on the chalk ridge of the South Downs and the second highest point in the South Downs National Park after Blackdown in the Western Weald. Although only high, it qualifies as one of England's...
- Castle Bottom
- Kingston Great Common
- Martin Down
- Newtown Harbour - IoW
- North Solent
- Old Winchester HillOld Winchester HillOld Winchester Hill is a chalk hill in Hampshire, England surmounted by an Iron Age hill fort and a Bronze Age cemetery. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve. The hill fort has never been fully excavated.-Location:...
- Titchfield Haven
Kent
- Blean Woods
- Dungeness
- ElmleyElmleyElmley is the local name for the Isle of Elmley, part of the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. It was also the name of a former village on the Isle of Elmley.-History:The village of Elmley was a settlement of around 200 people in the late 19th century...
- Ham Street WoodsHam Street WoodsHam Street Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Hamstreet and Ruckinge, six miles from Ashford in Kent, England. The woodland is said to be more than 400 years old....
- High HalstowHigh HalstowHigh Halstow is a village and civil parish on the Hoo Peninsula in the borough of Medway in northern Kent, England. The parish had a population of 1,781 according to the 2001 census....
- Lydden Temple Ewell
- Sandwich and Pegwell Bay
- StodmarshStodmarsh National Nature ReserveStodmarsh National Nature Reserve lies in the valley of the Great Stour river, between Westbere and Grove Ferry, in the county of Kent, and forms part of the extensive Stodmarsh SSSI...
- Swanscombe Skull Site
- The SwaleThe SwaleThe name The Swale refers to the strip of sea separating North Kent from the Isle of Sheppey.- History :The name "Swale" is Old English in origin, and is believed to mean "swirling, rushing river", or "rushing water"....
- WyeWye DownsWye Downs is a stretch of chalk downland and woodland located on the North Downs near the village of Wye in Kent. The site is a National Nature Reserve owned and managed by Natural England and comprises several coombes formed by periglacial action during the last ice age...
Lancashire
- Gait Barrows
- Ribble Estuary
Lincolnshire
- Bardney Limewoods
- Donna NookDonna NookDonna Nook is a bombing range on the coast of Lincolnshire, England, north of the village of North Somercotes. The area is salt marsh, and is used by a number of Royal Air Force bases in Lincolnshire for bombing practice. The site was also made available to commercial organisations such as BMARC...
- Far Ings
- Gibraltar PointGibraltar PointGibraltar Point National Nature Reserve is an area of approximately in Lincolnshire, England.The reserve is owned by Lincolnshire County Council and East Lindsey District Council and is administered by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust...
- Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes
- The WashThe WashThe Wash is the square-mouthed bay and estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom...
Merseyside
- Ainsdale Sand Dunes
- Cabin Hill
- Ribble Estuary
Norfolk
- Ant Broads & Marshes
- BlakeneyBlakeney, NorfolkBlakeney is a coastal village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Blakeney lies within the Norfolk Coast AONB and the North Norfolk Heritage Coast. The North Norfolk Coastal Path passes through the village...
- Brettenham Heath
- Bure Marshes
- Calthorpe BroadCalthorpe BroadCalthorpe Broad is an isolated broad within The Broads National Park, three miles north east of Stalham, Norfolk, England.English Nature manages it as a National Nature Reserve, one of over 200 NNRs. It is only 44 hectares, but of interest because of its plant life. It is detached from the main...
- Dersingham BogDersingham BogDersingham Bog National Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in Norfolk, England and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It contains three distinct habitats, mire, heath and woodland. Acid valley mire is found over much of the low-lying parts of the reserve where the ground is...
- Foxley Wood
- Hickling BroadHickling BroadHickling Broad lies within The Broads National Park in Norfolk, England,. 4 km south-east of Stalham.It is a National Nature Reserve established by English Nature and in the care of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, who run boat trips around the reserve for visitors. It is also part of the Upper...
- Holkham
- Holme Dunes
- Ludham - Potter Heigham
- Martham BroadMartham BroadMartham Broad is a broad and National Nature Reserve on the River Thurne in the English county of Norfolk. The broad is located within The Broads National Park about 2 km north of the village of Martham....
- Mid-Yare
- Redgrave and Lopham Fen
- Roydon Common
- Scolt Head IslandScolt Head IslandScolt Head Island is an offshore barrier island near Brancaster, north Norfolk, England, located 10 km west of Wells-next-the-Sea. It is a National Nature Reserve...
- Swanton NoversSwanton NoversSwanton Novers is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is west-south-west of Cromer, north-north-west of Norwich and north-north-east of London. The village lies south-west of the town of Holt. The nearest railway station is at Sheringham for the Bittern...
- The WashThe WashThe Wash is the square-mouthed bay and estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom...
- Weeting Heath
- Winterton DunesWinterton DunesWinterton Dunes is an extensive dune system on the east coast of Norfolk, England, which has been designated as a National Nature Reserve and is within the Norfolk Coast AONB....
North Yorkshire
- Duncombe ParkDuncombe ParkDuncombe Park is the seat of the Duncombe family whose senior member takes the title Baron Feversham. It is situated near Helmsley, North Yorkshire, England and stands in a commanding location above deeply incised meanders of the River Rye....
- Forge Valley Woods
- IngleboroughIngleboroughIngleborough is the second highest mountain in the Yorkshire Dales. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, the other two being Whernside and Pen-y-ghent. Ingleborough is frequently climbed as part of the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, which is a 24-mile circular challenge walk starting and...
- Ling GillLing GillLing Gill is a gill in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. Cam Beck, a tributary of the River Ribble, flows through the gill....
- Malham TarnMalham Tarn-External links:****...
- New House Farm, Malham
- Scoska Wood
Northumberland
- Derwent Gorge & Muggleswick Woods
- Farne IslandsFarne IslandsThe Farne Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England. There are between 15 and 20 or more islands depending on the state of the tide. They are scattered about 2.5–7.5 km distant from the mainland, divided into two groups, the Inner Group and the Outer Group...
- Greenlee LoughGreenlee LoughGreenlee Lough is a lough or lake and National Nature Reserve north of Bardon Mill, and north of the B6318 road in Northumberland, northern England....
- Kielder Mires
- Kielderhead
- LindisfarneLindisfarneLindisfarne is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England. It is also known as Holy Island and constitutes a civil parish in Northumberland...
- Muckle Moss
- Newham Bog
- Whitelee Moor
Oxfordshire
- Aston RowantAston Rowant NNRAston Rowant Nature Reserve is located on the western escarpment of the Chiltern Hills near Stokenchurch on the Oxfordshire - Buckinghamshire border in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty The reserve is in several sections, divided by the M40 motorway in the Aston Rowant Cutting...
- Chimney Meadow
- Cothill
- WychwoodWychwoodThe Wychwood, or Wychwood Forest, is an area now covering a small part of rural Oxfordshire. In past centuries the forest covered a much larger area, since cleared in favour of agriculture, villages and towns. However, the forest's area has fluctuated...
Somerset
- Barrington Hill MeadowsBarrington Hill MeadowsBarrington Hill Meadows is a 16.1 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset, England, notified in 1987....
- Bridgwater BayBridgwater BayBridgwater Bay is on the Bristol Channel, north of Bridgwater in Somerset, England at the mouth of the River Parrett and the end of the River Parrett Trail. It consists of large areas of mud flats, saltmarsh, sandflats and shingle ridges, some of which are vegetated...
- Dunkery & Horner WoodsDunkery BeaconDunkery Beacon is the summit of Dunkery Hill, and the highest point on Exmoor and in Somerset, England. It is also the highest point in southern England outside Dartmoor....
- Ebbor GorgeEbbor GorgeEbbor Gorge is a limestone gorge in Somerset, England, close to Wells, designated as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Mendip Hills, notified in 1952....
- Ham WallHam WallThe Ham Wall National Nature Reserve, west of Glastonbury, on the Somerset Levels in the valley of the River Brue in Somerset, England is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds....
- Hardington MoorHardington MoorHardington Moor is an 8.7 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Hardington Mandeville and West Coker in Somerset, notified in 1994....
- Hawkcombe WoodsHawkcombe WoodsHawkcombe Woods is a National Nature Reserve near Porlock on Exmoor, Somerset, England.The woodlands are notable for their lichens, heath fritillary butterfly, red wood ant colonies, dead wood invertebrates and ancient pollards....
- Huntspill River
- Rodney Stoke SSSIRodney Stoke SSSIRodney Stoke is a 69.6 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, just north of the village of Rodney Stoke in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, notified in 1957....
- Shapwick HeathShapwick HeathShapwick Heath is a 394.0-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserve between Shapwick and Westhay in Somerset, notified in 1967. It is part of the Brue Valley Living Landscape conservation project. The project commenced in January 2009 and aims to restore,...
- Somerset LevelsSomerset LevelsThe Somerset Levels, or the Somerset Levels and Moors as they are less commonly but more correctly known, is a sparsely populated coastal plain and wetland area of central Somerset, South West England, between the Quantock and Mendip Hills...
- Tarr Steps Woodland
- Westhay MoorWesthay MoorWesthay Moor is a 513.7 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest 2.5km north-east of Westhay village and 4km from Wedmore in Somerset, notified in 1971...
Suffolk
- Benacre NNRBenacre NNRBenacre NNR is a National Nature Reserve in the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast in the parishs of Benacre, Suffolk, Covehithe and Easton Bavents...
- Bradfield Woods
- Cavenham Heath
- Orfordness-Havergate
- Redgrave and Lopham Fen
- Suffolk Coast
- Thetford Heath
- Westleton Heath
Wiltshire
- Fyfield DownFyfield DownFyfield Down is part of the Marlborough Downs, about north of the village of Fyfield, Wiltshire.The down has the best assemblage of sarsen stones in England. The stones are known here as the Grey Wethers, for their likeness to sheep when seen from a distance...
- Langley WoodLangley Wood and Homan's CopseLangley Wood and Homan's Copse is a 219.28 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire, notified in 1985.-Source:* -External links:*...
- North Meadow, CrickladeNorth Meadow, CrickladeNorth Meadow, Cricklade is a hay meadow near the village of Cricklade, in Wiltshire, England. It is 24.6 hectares in size.Over 250 species of higher plant occur in the meadow, but it is of particular note as it holds by far the largest British population of the Snake's-head Fritillary...
- Parsonage DownParsonage DownParsonage Down is a 188.6 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire, notified in 1971.The site is a National Nature Reserve....
- Pewsey DownsPewsey DownsPewsey Downs is a 305.3 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the southern edge of the Marlborough Downs north of Pewsey in Wiltshire, notified in 1951.-Source:* -External links:*...
- Prescombe DownPrescombe DownPrescombe Down is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire, notified in 1951.-Source:* -External links:*...
- Wylye DownWylye and Church Dean DownsWylye and Church Dean Downs is a 80.9 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire, notified in 1951.-Source:* -External links:*...
Worcestershire
- Bredon HillBredon HillBredon Hill is a hill in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Evesham in the Vale of Evesham. The summit of the hill is in the parish of Kemerton and it extends over parts of eight other parishes...
- Chaddesley Woods
- Foster's Green Meadows
- Wyre ForestWyre ForestWyre Forest is a large, semi-natural woodland and forest which straddles the borders of Worcestershire and Shropshire, England.The Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire takes its name from the forest, despite the fact that much of the woodland does not lie within the district's boundaries, but...