What's here? at Minsmere
Available on site
243 spaces.
8 Blue Badge spaces. Blue badge spaces 80 metres from visitor centre via a sloped path.
Drop-off outside visitor centre – beware of vehicles and pedestrians. Level and even pea gravel surface.
2 coach spaces.
No lighting. No height restrictions. No overnight parking or camping. Bicycle racks available.
Please don't park on the road, verges or in gateways, as it causes an obstruction for residents and emergency services.
Our toilets are open dawn to dusk.
Accessible toilet located in visitor centre is open when the visitor centre is.
They are located in our toilets next to our visitor centre.
Some nature trails and hides are adapted for pushchairs. Ask our friendly welcome team for an accessible map on arrival.
There are three mobility scooters available to borrow, booking is essential. To book a mobility scooter please call our Visitor Centre on 01728 648281.
Some nature trails and hides are adapted for wheelchairs.
Our toilets are open dawn to dusk.
They are located in a separate toilet block just next to our visitor centre.
Our visitor centre is open daily. Pedestrian access by a tarmac sloping path from Blue Badge parking or steps closer to the visitor centre. Enter through heavy doors, opening outwards.
A door bell is provided for assistance. Ground floor, tiled, step-free and level throughout with a slight slope on entry. Clear print displays. Low counter section. Chairs available on request. Good lighting. Portable hearing loop.
Indoor and outdoor seating available. Relax and recharge in our nourishing café enjoying picturesque views of Minsmere. Minsmere café serves a delicious range of hot and cold drinks all year round including, snacks and light meals, including our highly acclaimed cheese scones. Last orders for hot food is 2pm.
Come and visit our well stocked gift shop 7 days a week 9am - 5pm (9am - 4pm during our winter hours) where our friendly team are on hand to advise you on our binocular and telescope ranges, bird food, bird care, and gift items. The shop is in the visitor centre next to the nourishing café.
We have two electric vehicle charging points for the use of visitors. These Pod Points were installed in July 2024, with funding from the Amenity and Accessibility Fund.
To use the chargers you will need to have downloaded the Pod Point App (available on Android and iOS) and created an account – we advise doing this before visiting. The app will indicate whether the chargers are in use. There is no booking system available. Both chargers are 7kW.
Why not make your visit even better by hiring some binoculars. Our popular RSPB binoculars are available to hire from our shop, and daily hire starts from just £5.00.
Want to explore Minsmere more? We offer a wide range of guide walks throughout the year from Birds for Beginners to VIP experiences with Hire a Guide. More information about dates and prices of our walks can be found under the Events tab in our about section.
Our hides and viewing points are open from dawn to dusk, daily (excluding Christmas Day and Boxing Day). Ramped or level entry into five hides (North, Wildlife Lookout, East, South, and Island Mere) and one viewing area (Whin Hill). Steps with no ramp or lift into two hides (Bittern – 32 and Canopy – 46) and one viewing platform (Public Viewpoint – 16).
Download our trail map, to help you plan your visit.
A mix of different paths, both flat and undulating, where walks can be enjoyed. Some nature trails and hides are adapted for wheelchairs and pushchairs. A new Access For All boardwalk path from North Wall to East Hide is open as of 2022.
Benches on many parts of the trails. - The Scrape Trail is 2 miles long. Allow around 1 hour to complete this trail. - The Island Mere Trail is 1.5 miles long. Allow around 1 hour to complete this trail. - The Woodland Trail is 1 mile long.
Allow around 1 hours to complete this trail. We have a number of Public Rights of Way across the site. Speak to our staff at the visitor centre to find out more.
Our Wild Zone is open and located behind the Discovery Centre. Here you can go wild in our nature-inspired den building area and our Sand Martin tunnels.
We are currently in the process of improving our play area, and it may look a little different from usual, you can visit this page for updates or follow us on social media.
Our hides and viewing points are open from dawn to dusk, daily (excluding Christmas Day and Boxing Day). Ramped or level entry into five hides (North, Wildlife Lookout, East, South, and Island Mere) and one viewing area (Whin Hill). Steps with no ramp or lift into two hides (Bittern – 32 and Canopy – 46) and one viewing platform (Public Viewpoint – 16).
Not available on site
BBQs are a fire risk, endangering other people and the precious wildlife and habitats here. They are not permitted on the reserve at any time.
Restrictions
We welcome dogs in the Visitor Centre and they can be exercised in our car park on a short lead.
There are water bowls on the cafe terrace and at the Visitor Centre entrance and dog-friendly snacks can be bought during cafe opening hours.
Minsmere is home to rare and precious wildlife that needs our protection. To help us to minimise disturbance to our sensitive wildlife, we ask you not to walk your dogs on our nature trails.
If you wish to walk with your dog, please ask our reception team for a map showing several miles of dog-friendly walks on the reserve. These walks are based in different areas of the reserve, and you will be given driving directions to these locations from the Visitor Centre.
Dogs die in hot cars, please do not leave your dog in the car when visiting us.
Assistance dogs are welcome in all parts of the reserve.
We encourage visitors to cycle or walk to Minsmere and have bike racks outside the visitor centre. Forgotten your bike lock? You are welcome to push your bikes along our trails to explore.
Please do not cycle on the nature trails for the safety of our visitors and wildlife.