Campfield Marsh

We are working hard to make our nature reserves safe and ready for our staff, visitors and wildlife. Although most of our sites with visitor facilities are currently closed, we have started opening those where is it safe and practical to do so in England and Northern Ireland. Please see our COVID-19 updates page for the latest information (link below).

Address: RSPB Campfield Marsh, Wigton CA7 5AG

Grid ref: NY197615

See our updates page to see which reserves are open.

Campfield Marsh, on the shores of the Solway Firth, is a natural mosaic of saltmarsh, peatbogs, farmland and wet grassland. This rich area provides homes for a variety of native wildlife, including ducks and geese in the winter and breeding waders, dragonflies and peat bog plants in spring and summer.

Plan your visit

Open at all times.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free, but donations are very welcome

Children: Free, but donations are very welcome

Car park cost: Free

Facilities

Visitor centre
Car park
Toilets
Accessible toilets
Baby changing
Refreshments
Picnic area
Viewing point
Nature trails
Shop off-site
Educational facilities
Play area

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

The nearest station is Carlisle (13 miles; 21 km from reserve).

By bus

Bus no. 93 from Carlisle terminates at the eastern end of Campfield Marsh reserve at Bowness on Solway. Access to North Plain Farm and Bowness Common is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west along the road by the saltmarsh.

By road

The main entrance is at North Plain Farm 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Bowness on Solway on the unclassified coast road.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Get directions from Google Maps

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Groups are welcome to visit at all times, though the visitor centre and reserve may be unmanned during the week. However toilets and self service refreshments are available from 10am - 4pm most days.

Please contact the reserve when planning your visit to ensure facilities will be available when you arrive. There is access and parking for small coaches, but larger coaches may need to drop off at the roadside, 100m from the visitor centre.

School groups are welcome to visit and use the education room and discovery zone for a small donation. Self-guided groups are welcome at all times, and staff may be occasionally available to help run a group event. Indoor/outdoor classroom seating, toilets, pond dipping facilities, natural play area available.

12 degrees, Partly cloudy (day)

Contact Campfield Marsh

RSPB Campfield Marsh, Wigton CA7 5AG
campfield.marsh@rspb.org.uk
01697 351330
@RSPB_N_England
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What will you see?

Our star species

Barnacle goose

Large numbers of the Svalbard population arrive at Campfield Marsh in the autumn.

Lapwing

Watch the nesting lapwings here chasing predators that may come too close.

Pink-footed goose

Thousands of pink-footed geese assemble here, with the numbers peaking in February and March.

Redshank

Keep an eye out for the redshanks' towering display flights over the wet meadows in spring.

Snipe

These cryptically-coloured waders can be seen displaying here in spring.

Nature spectacles

Look out over the saltmarsh at high tide to watch the gatherings of oystercatchers, lapwings, curlews and dunlin between autumn and spring. Visit in winter to watch thousands of teal wigeon, pintail and shoveler feeding on the flooded fields. In summer the peat bog is the place to head to see an array of dragonflies and damselflies darting over the heather, while lizards scurry across the boardwalk in front of you.

Spring and summer are busy times for nature and a great time for you to explore. Keep your eyes peeled for lapwings performing their tumbling display flight over the wet farm fields. Stroll along the saltmarsh and listen to the wonderful sounds of songbirds. Find yourself a pool on the peat bog and sit and watch dragonfles and damselflies darting past. Wander around the wildflower meadows to marvel at the beautiful blooms. Listen for male snipe “drumming” as they try to attract a mate over the rushy fields.

Spring and summer are busy times for nature and a great time for you to explore. Keep your eyes peeled for lapwings performing their tumbling display flight over the wet farm fields. Stroll along the saltmarsh and listen to the wonderful sounds of songbirds. Find yourself a pool on the peat bog and sit and watch dragonflies and damselflies darting past. Wander around the wildflower meadows to marvel at the beautiful blooms. Listen for male snipe “drumming” as they try to attract a mate over the rushy fields.

Over autumn and winter, watch from the lay-bys as the high tide pushes thousands of oystercatchers, dunlins and curlews onto the saltmarsh roosts. Head to the hide to see hundreds of teals, wigeons and other ducks feeding. Visit the farm fields to find flocks of reed buntings and linnets feeding on the seed. Look for weird and wonderful fungi in the birch woods.

About Campfield Marsh

Habitat

From autumn until spring, the tidal sands are busy with thousands of wading birds. Come spring, migrant warblers set up territories and the gorse bursts into bloom.

The former farmland has been transformed into a wetland paradise for lapwings, redshanks and the thousands of ducks and geese that spend the winter here. Continue on through the woodland and you will emerge on the vast open heather landscape of the raised peat bog.

Conservation

The peat bog, or raised mire, supports breeding curlews and snipe, as well as dragonflies and large heath butterflies. We are managing this important area by keeping the water high and allowing the peat to begin to regrow. We manage our wet grassland for the benefit of wading birds and wildfowl, and aim especially to increase our breeding populations of redshank and lapwing. Grazing helps us maintain suitable ground for these birds, and we will extend this by creating ditches and drains on any newly acquired land

Arable farmland on the reserve provides winter stubble for tree sparrows, reed buntings, linnets and skylarks. To boost their numbers we are converting 1 ha of semi-improved grassland into arable. The 52 ha of saltmarsh on the reserve supports a great variety of ducks and geese. We are working to maintain this area key features, including its grassland, gorse scrub and open water. Measures include grazing with cattle, maintaining ditches and open water, and minimising disturbance.

Partners

Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund through the Solway Wetlands Landscape Partnership.

Site information

Initially comprising 52 ha of saltmarsh purchased in 1987, the reserve has expanded over the years to include three areas of former farmland and 65 ha of raised peat bog to produce a mosaic of wetlands now totalling 335 ha on the Solway coast. It provides refuge for wintering wildfowl, breeding waders and other wetland specialists such as marsh fritillary butterflies. The site comprises parts of the South Solway Mosses SAC, Upper Solway Flats and Marshes SPA / SSSI and Bowness Common SSSI.

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Activities and events

Activities for children and families

Come and visit the family discovery zone with self-guided activities. Pond-dipping nets, trays and guides are available to borrow from the visitor centre.

Visit the natural play area to run, play and picnic before heading off on the 'Tale Trail' - a family guide to the reserve with Elmo the Peewit. Pick up your leaflet and map from the visitor centre.

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