Conwy

Address: RSPB Conwy Nature Reserve, Llandudno Junction LL31 9XZ

Grid ref: SH797773

What3Words: year.shears.subplot

RSPB Conwy nature reserve is a wetland on the east bank of the Conwy estuary, created from material dug out during construction of the A55 road tunnel between 1986 and 1991. First opened to the public in 1995, the reserve is now home to a variety of wonderful wildlife, including warblers, waders and wildfowl. The perfect place for families to discover nature!

Plan your visit

Car park: 9am-5pm.
Toilets: 9am-5pm.
Shop: 9.30am-5pm.
Coffee shop: 10am-4.30pm.
Welcome hub: 9.30am-5pm.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: £6

Children: £3.00
Free entrance for under 5s

Student: £3

Free entrance for carers: Yes

Other discounts: Family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children): £15.
Entrance to the coffee shop and shop is free.

Facilities

Visitor centre
Car park
Toilets
Accessible toilets
Baby changing
Pushchair friendly
Café
Picnic area
Binocular hire
Guided walks
Viewing point
Nature trails
Shop
Educational facilities
Play area

Accessibility

Download full accessibility statement (PDF)

How to get here

By train

The nearest train station is Llandudno Junction, half a mile from the reserve. The quickest route is to turn left from the station, take the first left down Conway Road and just before the road bridge (Ffordd 6G), take the footpath to the right, then turn left onto the bridge; cross the road to pavement and continue south past Tesco and Cineworld to the A55 roundabout. The reserve is on the south side of the roundabout and is signposted.

A more enjoyable, but slightly longer walk, is just over a mile (see on foot/bicycle above). A map to the reserve in on a board outside the entrance to Llandudno Junction railway station.

If you’re travelling here by train, take advantage of our offer of a free drink. Present a valid rail ticket for arrival at Llandudno Junction in the Waterside Coffee Shop on the day of travel, and we’ll give you a free cup of tea or filter coffee.

By bus

The nearest bus stop is the number 27 at Tesco, follow directions as above. Many other buses stop nearby in Llandudno Junction (numbers 5, 9, 14, 15, 19 and 84).

By bike

Sustrans cycle route 5. We recommend using the coastal cycle path signposted from Conwy Cob. From Llandudno Junction rail station, take the first left down Conway Road. Go under the bridge and after 200 m, go under another bridge and immediately up steps. Walk towards Conwy and at the start of the gardens, drop to your right and loop beneath Conwy Road through an underpass, over the footbridge and follow the estuary track south for half a mile to the reserve car park.

By road

From the A55, take junction 18 (signposted Conwy and Deganwy) and follow the brown RSPB signs. The reserve is on the south side of the roundabout. From Conwy, Deganwy and Llandudno, take the A546/A547 to the Weekly News roundabout, drive south past Tesco and the Cinema complex (Ffordd 6G) and cross the roundabout over the A55. The entrance to the reserve is on the south 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.

Get directions from Google Maps

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RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Sorry we don't allow dogs, except registered assistance dogs. This is due to the disturbance caused to breeding/roosting birds, otters, our wild Carneddau ponies and other sensitive wildlife. However, there is a popular dog walk along the estuary, running north from the car park. There is no charge for parking, but please be aware that the car park is locked at 5pm daily.

We welcome group visits, but do ask that you tell us that you're coming if the group size is 12 or more (Tel: 01492 584091 or email conwy@rspb.org.uk), particularly if you plan to travel by coach. There is no group charge, but RSPB members are reminded to bring a valid membership card to obtain free entry. All other visitors will be charged the standard reserve entrance fee.

If you would like to organise a guided walk for your group, this can be arranged for an additional fee. This costs £30 for a group of up to 15 people, or £50 for a group of up to 30 people. Please contact us at least six weeks prior of your proposed visit to arrange this for your group.

The whole reserve is rich in habitats with a huge variety of plants, minibeasts and birds for your pupils to discover, with help from our expert team who are accredited by Learning Outside the Classroom. There are three viewing hides and an indoor classroom. It's the perfect place for children (and teachers!) to use their senses, explore and learn more about nature...

We specialise in activities for primary age children, with prices as follows:

£4 per child for a half-day visit
£6.50 per child for a full day visit

There is a minimum group charge of £80 for a half-day visit, and £130 for a full-day visit for primary groups.

We also cater for secondary school:

£5 per pupil for a half-day visit
£6 per pupil for a full-day visit

And A-level groups too:

£6 per student for a half-day visit
£10 per student for a full-day visit

There is a minimum group charge of £100 for a half-day visit, and £160 for a full-day visit for both secondary school and A-level groups.

Each programme is designed to last two hours; with sessions running from 10am-12pm, and 12.30-2.30pm. A 'half-day visit' consists of a morning or afternoon session only. However, we are very happy to discuss these arrangements with you, and will do our best to cater for the groups needs. To view the programmes offered, visit our school trip ideas page here.

To find out more information, please contact us on 01492 584091 / ConwyLearning@rspb.org.uk.

You can also check out our fantastic range of learning resources for teachers here, or take on the Schools’ Wild Challenge here.

Downloads

Here's how to find us. PDF, 313Mb

Walking route map

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 556Kb

Conwy trail guide - Bilingual

Contact Conwy

RSPB Conwy Nature Reserve, Llandudno Junction LL31 9XZ
conwy@rspb.org.uk
01492 584091
@RSPBConwy
Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

Black-tailed godwit

These elegant, long-billed waders can be seen on the lagoons here in spring and autumn.

Lapwing

These wonderful birds winter here in small flocks.

Sedge warbler

Arrives from Africa in April, they are easy to see and hear until late August.

Shelduck

Colourful shelducks are present in large numbers from January to May, when they move up the valley to nest.

Water rail

Water rails are really showy at Conwy, especially in front of the cafe.

Nature spectacles

During the winter, late afternoons are dominated by the sight, sound and rush of wings, as tens of thousands of starlings congregate to roost in the reedbeds, throwing shapes across the sky in a spectacular murmuration.

Their preferred location can vary, as is the period they are present, so keep in touch with us via social media to find out what's happening. Very often, the best place to watch from is the raised mound behind the coffee shop, giving you a 360 degree view. Calm, clear conditions are best; when it's wet or windy, the starlings dive straight into the roost without any display. The car park usually closes at 5pm, but on some evenings it remains open until dusk when this is after 5pm.

Conwy is a good place to see a range of orchids. June is the best month, with five species present, including the scarce coccinea form of early marsh orchid, found at only a handful of sites in North Wales. The most numerous is the southern marsh orchid, thousands of which carpet the grassland at the southern end of the reserve.

Grazing by our Carneddau ponies helps to keep the habitat in good condition for orchids. The 'must-see' flower is the bee orchid, whose flower mimics a bumblebee, and even smells like a female bee. These grow in small clusters at the side of the trails. Check in the visitor centre to find out where the best places are this year.

Look for cowslips in bloom around the coffee shop and maes area. Check the smaller ponds for frog and toadspawn. The reedbeds are full of noisy sedge and reed warblers marking their territories as they return from Africa. Listen out for the chime of a chiffchaff, or the melodic song of willow warblers as they announce their arrival. Marvel at the sight of hundreds of hirundines feeding over the lagoons, refuelling after their long journey north.

June is orchid season, with thousands of southern marsh orchids and hundreds of bee orchids filling the reserve with colour. Stoats can sometimes be spotted, once young kits have left their den. Six-spot burnet moths emerge, feeding on flower heads across the reserve. Look out for butterflies on warmer days, as they flutter through our meadows and wildlife garden. Dragonflies, such as southern hawker and common darter, lay eggs in the smaller ponds where newts and stickleback swim.

In August, southbound waders feed on the estuary and around the muddy edges of the lagoons. Goldfinches feed on the thistles and teasels, sometimes in roving flocks. Look on decaying wood and on grassland for fabulous fungi. Redwings and fieldfares arrive overnight, feeding on the remaining blackberries each morning.

The starling roost can build at any time, usually between January and March - be here an hour before dusk. Water rails feed out in the open and can be heard squealing amongst the reedbeds. Listen out for siskins and lesser redpolls in alder trees in the wildlife garden. Following a hard frost or light snow, see mammal tracks, including otter and water shrew. Goldeneyes and pochards from Russia join the local wildfowl, such as red-breasted mergansers, on the busy lagoons.

About Conwy

Habitat

Stroll along a boardwalk, through a reedbed, to the sounds of reed warblers in summer and water rails in winter; starlings mass here on winter evenings before roosting in the reeds. Then look across two lagoons, one with shallow water and the other much deeper, which attract waders and waterbirds, especially from August to March. These are best for birds at high tide, when the river pushes waders to roost and feed on the islands.

Follow the trails through mixed scrub and grassland, dotted with temporary pools, loved by dragonflies and butterflies in summer. The final part of the circular trail takes you along the edge of the estuary, overlooking mudflats and saltmarsh, with a backdrop of the Carneddau mountains beyond.

Conservation

The lagoons provide a refuge for hundreds of waders that move off the estuary at high tide. Vegetation on the islands is cut short each autumn to make them suitable for roosting curlews, redshanks and grazing wigeons. We periodically reprofile the islands, ensuring there are plenty of muddy edges for waders to feed. Water in the lagoons is fresh, not tidal, so we rely on rainfall to fill it during the winter, with additional water pumped from the nearby Afon Ganol.

We aim to fill the lagoons by April, making it harder for mammals to get to the islands where birds nest. Natural evaporation and transpiration reduce the water level (by up to 1cm every day!), so that by mid July, there is invertebrate-rich mud for waders dropping in to Conwy on their way from northern Europe to Africa.

The southern half of the reserve is grazed year-round by Carneddau mountain ponies, a hardy local mountain breed, happy to eat grass, bramble, rush and reeds. They break up the habitats, keeping it in good condition for a variety of wildlife, particularly pioneering flowers that like the low-nutrient soil, and moths whose caterpillars live in the reedbeds and grassland. The ponies' manure is great for beetles and flies, so good for birds too.

Partners

Site information

The reserve covers 50 ha, of which almost 70 per cent was created in the early 1990s from material removed from the estuary during construction of the adjacent A55 road tunnel. The RSPB has shaped this post-industrial landscape to create circular walks which take you through reedbed, young woodland, grassland and scrub. The dominant features are the two lagoons, in which islands have been created for roosting and nesting birds. The remainder of the reserve is mudflats and saltmarsh, part of the Afon Conwy SSSI, important for migratory waders including curlew, oystercatcher and redshank.

Latest blog posts

read our blog

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

From our welcome hub, collect one of our bingo sheets, encouraging children to take a closer look at the wildlife on the reserve. There is always an exciting self-guided activity trail for families to follow and take part in too! All are available in Welsh and English.

All of our viewing hides and screens have been designed with smaller people in mind, so even the littlest birdwatcher can enjoy a good view! We organise a variety of events and activities, mostly at weekends and during the school holidays, for children to get hands-on with nature.

Take a look what's on, and book your tickets for one of our exciting events here.

Go wild with an RSPB birthday party!

Why not hold your child’s next birthday party at RSPB Conwy? We’ll help you throw the perfect party for little adventurers! Let our wildlife experts keep them entertained through your choice of two specially-designed adventures with nature.

Will they discover the marvellous minibeasts that lurk in the watery depths of our pond? Or will they venture on a minibeast safari finding the curious creatures that hide in the undergrowth? Maybe they’ll become super sleuths detecting the wildlife all around them as they enjoy a nature walk, or will they be super spotters ticking off their nature finds in an exciting game of wildlife bingo?

Two nature-based activities led by RSPB staff (1.30pm–3pm)
Dedicated party room available for birthday tea (3pm–4pm)
Up to 15 children
£90 (includes room hire)
Perfect for ages 3 to 10

An RSPB party is perfect for curious minds and adventurous spirits. For more information, call us on 01492 584091 or email eventsconwy@rspb.org.uk

For more information on events and to book tickets, please visit events.rspb.org.uk/conwy

Make the most of your journey

RSPB Conwy Nature Reserve, Llandudno Junction, Conwy, Wales

History

Stand on the reserve and you can see 4,000 years of human history that stems from the Conwy valley's importance.

Conwy