Cliffe Pools

We're closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Please be advised when planning your visit, that Medway Council have introduced a temporary closure of footpath RS80. This is to remove illegally dumped waste from Francis Quarry. The footpath is closed to pedestrians from Francis Quarry, from a point behind the Thameside Terminal to the gate connecting the route to Salt Lane. A diversion will be in place northwest across the Cliffe Marshes along the Saxon Shore Way. The closure will come into place from Monday 3rd September and will continue for a maximum period of 6 months or until works have been completed, whichever is sooner.
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Address
RSPB Cliffe Pools, Salt Ln, Rochester ME3 7SX
Grid ref
TQ722757

Cliffe Pools is a remote and beautiful landscape with open horizons, the ideal destination for long summer walks and for watching spectacular numbers of wintering waders. A number of trails of varying lengths afford great views over the pools, the wildlife, and the River Thames running alongside.

Plan your visit

Opening times

Open at all times.

Entrance charges

Free entrance to RSPB members
Yes
Adults
Free
Children
Free
Car park cost

Free

Facilities

  • No visitor centre
  • Car park
  • Toilets off-site
  • Accessible toilets off-site
  • Pushchair friendly
  • No Refreshments
  • Viewing point
  • Nature trails
  • Shop off-site

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

The nearest stations are Higham (3 miles/5 km away), and Strood (5 miles/8 km away).

By bus

Bus 133 from Chatham, Rochester and Strood stops in Cliffe.

By road

Follow directions for Cliffe village, take the second left after the round, stone 'Cliffe' village sign (into Rectory Road). Then turn right at the next T-junction and after 600 metres turn left into Salt Lane. Continue along Salt Lane until the road bends sharply to the right - the car park is situated on the left-hand side.

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.

Other ways to get there

Instead of driving down the rough track onto the site you can park sensibly in the village close to St Helen's Church (behind the Six Bells) in Cliffe village, and walk down Pond Lane onto the reserve.

Get directions from Google Maps
RSPB reserves on Google Earth

What will the weather be like?

3 degrees, Cloudy

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 297Kb

Cliffe Pools trail guide

Contact Cliffe Pools

What will you see?

Our star species

Recent sightings

Avocet turning eggs in nest.

Find out about recent wildlife sightings at Cliffe Pools.

read more

Seasonal highlights

At the brackish Black Barn pools and grasslands, breeding lapwings and redshanks gather with dabbling ducks, marshland warblers, corn and reed buntings, linnets, stonechats and skylarks. The saline lagoons have breeding avocets and common terns, and a large breeding gull colony, now including Mediterranean gulls. Migrating waders such as greenshanks and spotted redshanks often make an appearance in the pools and lagoons.

The scrub which hugs many of the paths on the reserve supports numerous warbler species, owls and is one of the best places in the UK to hear nightingales. There is also an excellent display of blooming hawthorn from Pinnacle viewpoint.

At the brackish pools and saline lagoons, a superb range of returning migrant waders - 25-30 species seen in the last four years, including flocks of up to 5000 black tailed godwits and 3000 avocets, with green, wood, common and curlew sandpipers, little stints, spotted redshanks, greenshanks plus rarities. This builds up slowly through July and peaks in August, when it is as good as any site in the country in this respect. Large post-breeding flocks of up to 800 shelducks and 100 little grebes, and up to 60 feeding little egrets can be found around the pools.

In the scrub and grasslands, insects can be found foraging on the abundant plant life, including rare bumblebees such as the shrill carder, many butterflies including marbled white, Essex skipper and the migrant clouded yellow, and a large range of grasshopper and bush crickets, including Roesel's bush cricket. There is a good display of common flower species like wild carrot, birds-foot trefoil and melilot.

Migrant waders tend to diminish on the pools and lagoons at the end of September and are replaced by wintering waders such as dunlins and grey plovers. Summer songbirds head south whilst winter thrushes - redwings and fieldfares - move in from the north. It's a good time to seawatch on the Thames with skuas and sometimes petrels seen, especially in strong north-westerly winds.

In the scrub and grasslands, the last of the year's insects can be seen: late dragonflies include ruddy darters and migrant hawkers; there are late bush crickets, especially dark bush crickets; and the last of the year's butterflies include wall browns and small tortoiseshells.

Winter wader and duck numbers build up on the pools and lagoons, with impressive high-tide roosts of up to 7,000 dunlins, 2,000 lapwings, amongst other species such as redshanks and grey plovers. Wet winters can see up to 3,000 dabbling ducks (teals, wigeons, shovelers, mallards, gadwalls and pintails) mainly on the northern pools. Coots and diving ducks, e.g. pochards and tufted ducks, build up into the low hundreds with smaller numbers of goldeneyes. The occasional scaup or red-necked, black-necked or slavonian grebe may also make an appearance.

Hunting raptors in the scrub and grassland areas include hen and marsh harriers, merlins, peregrines and barn owls. Winter thrush and finch flocks make use of the abundant hawthorns.

About Cliffe Pools

Habitat

The remote landscape of Cliffe Pools has a variety of wetland, coastal and estuary habitats.

Conservation

We are reducing the depth of the lagoons and pools by filling them in with locally (Thames basin) dredged and tunnelled material. This provides suitable feeding areas for deep diving ducks (2-3m) and other ducks and waders (beaches down to 2m). We also retain deeper areas to help us manage the water and salinity levels and as a refuge for protected aquatic invertebrates.

Controlling water levels along with the selected clearance of scrub and regular vegetation control we have improved the appeal for water birds. Islands and causeways, and shallow water margins serve as high tide roosts for winter waders, breeding sites in the spring and more feeding opportunities.

Cliffe has 75 ha of grassland on in-filled lagoons. We manage this habitat for the benefit of its breeding lapwings and redshanks, and important invertebrates such as the shrill and brown-banded carder bee. There is also 5 ha of dense scrub, which nightingales and roosting long-eared owls particularly enjoy.

Cliffe Pools Habitat Enhancement

Partners

RSPB Cliffe Pools has developed into a fantastic home for nature, helped by the tremendous support of many individuals, groups and organisations. In addition to RSPB members and supporters, local community members and a tireless team of volunteers, we would particularly like to thank the following organisations for their financial support:

  • Bretts Environmental Trust through the Landfill Community Fund
  • CLG Parklands
  • Douglas Glanfield Memorial Trust
  • Environment Agency
  • Heritage Lottery Fund
  • International Tree Foundation
  • Medway Rennaisance
  • Natural England through Defra
  • Phillips Fund through the Kent Community Foundation
  • Office of Deputy Prime Minister
  • RWE npower through the Landfill Community Fund
  • SITA Trust through the Landfill Community Fund
  • South East England Development Agency
  • Viridor-Credits through the Landfill Community Fund
  • WREN/FCC Environment through the Landfill Community Fund

Site information

Cliffe Pools nature reserve offers a remote landscape with open horizons and skies. A number of trails at varied lengths afford great views over the pools, the wildlife, and the River Thames running alongside. 

We welcome responsible dog owners, but please note that you are sharing this nature reserve with very rare ground-nesting birds.

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