Things to do in Beeby, Leicestershire

A network of scrapes and wet meadows, Wanlip is the ideal place to try your hand at birdwatching. The wetland supports a number of birds throughout the year, but the winter and spring are our favourite times to visit – wrap up warm for winter for wildfowl, and explore in summer for wading birds, which adore the muddy edges to the scrapes.

This wonderful, if tiny, wildlife haven is just a few miles from Leicester City Centre – urban nature brought to life. The diversity of habitats, including a scrubby area for nesting birds, in such a small space attracts an array of wildlife – it’s worth popping in a few times throughout the year to see what else has turned up!

This wetland haven is worth visiting all year around, but comes alive in the winter, when rafts of ducks, like wigeon and teal, gather on the lakes, and short-eared owls hunt over the meadows. Wrap up warm enjoy a brisk winter walk to one of the best wildlife spots in the Soar Valley.

Tilton Railway Cutting is a little slice of ancient history! A real-life Jurassic world (except with no dinosaurs), this reserve is managed as much for its geology as for it’s wildlife, 200 million years of history can be seen in the exposed rock layers.

This innovative reserve is part of the Soar Valley floodplain system. Originally agricultural fields, harvested for maize, grazed by cattle and used as grassland in their recent history, we are now allowing nature to take back control. This is perfect for both people and wildlife, as we hope that this floodplain reserve will help to protect the homes and livelihoods in the area, by soaking up rainwater in times of flooding. This also creates ideal conditions for plants and animals to thrive.

Made up of two of the most ancient woodlands in Leicestershire, stepping into Launde Woods is like stepping back in time. Oak, ash, hazel and field maple dominate Big Wood to the west, whilst Park Wood to the east was once a Forestry Commission plantation. The atmosphere is awe-inspiring, with a feeling of peace and grandeur.

Tom Long’s Nature Reserve (formally known as Tom Long’s Meadow) is a narrow corridor of land approximately 600m in length and no wider than 75m. The area is made up of mosaic of wet grassland and wet woodland habitats, perfect for amphibians, wildflowers, woodland birds, butterflies and dragonflies.

Narborough Bog is a unique reserve for Leicestershire and Rutland; over 6,000 years old, this reserve is a hotbed for wildlife in suburbia, with habitats including fen meadow, wet woodland and reedbed. Over 130 bird species have been recorded here, including kingfishers, tawny owls and all three species of woodpecker!

Lea Meadows is a beautiful, diverse and historical nature reserve, teeming with wildflowers and birds. The meeting of meadows, woodland and a meandering stream make for a peaceful, wild experience – and if you’re lucky, you might even see a kingfisher!