Things to do in Shepherd's Patch, Gloucestershire

Visit WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre set on the eastern side of the River Severn Estuary in Gloucestershire, England. Explore our wetlands with fun activities for all the family.

One of the finest surviving traditional hay meadows in Gloucestershire, Clarke's Pool Meadow is a sanctuary for small mammals and meadow flora.

For fantastic views across the Severn Vale towards the Forest of Dean, Coaley Peak is hard to beat.

This nature reserve safeguards one of the only two remaining British locations of limestone woundwort.

A secluded reserve, sheltered by hedges and scrub, carpeted with wildflowers and home to many butterflies.

Woorgreens is found in the heart of the Forest of Dean, and is home to a range of wildlife that live within its marsh, lake and heath habitats. Now considered threatened, heathland once covered large areas of the Forest of Dean.In the spring and summer it's a great place to spot dragonflies and damselflies or look for reptiles. Bird life is abundant, both on the lake and the surrounding heathland and woodland edges - listen out for the sound of the cuckoo, look for shy crossbills in the woodland edges, or look for hobbies chasing dragonflies over the lake.

Part of what once was a large wet heathland covering Cinderford, Laymoor Quag bursts with plant and insect life in the spring and a great place to look out for dragonflies in the summer months.

Edgehills Bog has a peaceful atmosphere and is a relic of, the once widespread habitat, wet heath.

A great place to come to admire one of the remaining marshlands in the Forest of Dean. Cannop Bridge Marsh has a wealth of butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies in the summer and is a great place to try to spot nuthatches, treecreepers, woodpeckers and reed buntings.

Towering beech trees create the tranquil atmosphere, tucked away in a valley close to Box Village.

Stuart Fawkes nature reserve, also known as Box Meadows SSSI, is made up of three fields and is home to one of Britain's largest populations of meadow clary, a very rare plant found in only 21 sites.

Climb this local landmark for wonderful views of the Slad Valley and look out for a wealth of wildlife. The limestone grassland here supports over 130 species of wildflowers including 13 species of orchid including the rare frog orchids, bee orchids and early purple orchids.

A walk through the magical Laurie Lee Wood is a step back in time. This small, ancient and semi-natural woodland is full of wildflowers such as white helleborine, and bluebells in spring.

Sitting at the foot of the Golden Valley, Blackness Banks is a key steppingstone linking important habitats in the Golden Valley to those on Rodborough and Minchinhampton Commons.

Lower Woods is one of the largest ancient woodland in the south-west, and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Areas of grazed common land and wide grassy pathways known as ‘trenches’ separate 23 individual traditionally coppiced woodlands, the boundaries of which have remained unchanged for centuries.

Frith Wood Nature Reserve is a wonderful ancient beech wood that straddles the ridge overlooking Painswick Valley and Slad Valley near Stroud.

Midger Wood nature reserve lies in a magical, almost hidden, valley of mossy oaks and luxurious ferns. The babbling Kilcott Brook and its small waterfalls are always within earshot, making this a peaceful, relaxing place to visit.