Conwy

Address: RSPB Conwy, Llandudno Junction LL31 9XZ

Grid ref: SH797773

The Conwy RSPB 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. It is now home to a variety of wildlife, and a great place to introduce families to nature.

Plan your visit

Visitor centre opening times are 9.30am - 5pm.

Our cafe is open 10am - 4.30pm (until 4pm between November - March).

Closed 25th December.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: £5

Children: £2.50

Other discounts: Family ticket: £12.50

Facilities

Visitor centre
Car park
Toilets
Accessible toilets
Baby changing
Pushchair friendly
Cafe
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

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Sorry, we don't allow dogs, except registered assistance dogs, because there are breeding birds and otters, and, in winter, roosting birds on the reserve. There’s a popular dog walk along the estuary, running north from the reserve.

We welcome group visits, but ask that you tell us 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 charged the standard entrance fee.

If you would like a guided walk, subject to availability, we can arrange this for an additional fee of £30 for a group of up to 15 people, or £50 for a group of 15 to 30 people. Please ring the reserve at least six weeks before your proposed visit to arrange a group visit.

The whole reserve is rich in wildlife 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 a great place for children - and teachers - to explore.

We specialise in activities for primary age children, and until July 2018, the costs of these visits by primary schools in North Wales is funded by Aldi, so schools just need to organise the transport. For other schools, visiting after 1 April 2018, prices are £4 for a half-day and £6.50 for a full day for primary schools (minimum charge £80 for half-day, £130 for full-day visit).

Each programme is designed to last two hours; sessions run from 10am - 12pm, and then 12.30 - 2.30pm.

To find out more, and view the programmes offered, visit our school trip ideas page.

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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, Llandudno Junction LL31 9XZ
conwy@rspb.org.uk
01492 584091 or for event booking: 01492 581025
@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 café. Check the smaller ponds for frog and toadspawn and newtlets. The reedbeds are full of noisy sedge and reed warblers marking their territories as they return from Africa.

June is orchid season, with thousands of southern marsh orchids and hundreds of bee orchids. Stoats can be evident once young kits leave the den. Six-spot burnet moths emerge, feeding on flower heads across the reserve. Dragonflies, such as southern hawker and common darter lay eggs in the water or soft mud of the smaller ponds.

In August, southbound waders feed on the muddy lagoons. Goldfinches feed on the thistles and teasels, sometimes in roving flocks. Look on decaying wood and on grassland for 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 in the open (and sometimes under the bird feeders!). Listen for siskins and lesser redpolls in alder trees behind the visitor centre. Following a hard frost or light snow, see mammal tracks, including otter and water shrew. Goldeneyes and pochards from Russia join the more local ducks, such as red-breasted mergansers, on the 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 thousands 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.

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.

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Activities and events

Activities for children and families

From our visitor centre, collect one of our bingo cards, encouraging you to take a closer look at the reserve, or during the school holidays, there is a self-guided activity trail to follow. All are available in Welsh and English.

We organise a diverse range of events and activities, mostly at weekends and during the school holidays, for children to get hands-on with nature, many of these scoring points for the RSPB Wild Challenge. The viewing hides and screens have been designed with smaller people in mind, and you may meet our Wild About Nature volunteers who'll show you the wildlife.

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.

Leisure activities

You can cycle or walk to the reserve from Conwy/Deganwy, along the estuary coastal route signposted from Conwy Cob; we have cycle racks - and can lend you a lock - for you to park up while you explore the reserve on foot. Why not join a guided walk with our volunteers every Saturday at 11 am? They will help you spot and identify the wildlife, and explain how we manage the site for nature.

You can hire a pair of binoculars from us (£3 or £5 a pair), just ask at reception. Conwy's a great place for photographers too (just look at the images visitors have shared on our Flickr page), whether it's the breathtaking riverscape of the Conwy Valley or the macro detail of a dragonfly, there are lots of picture opportunities.

Conwy ParkRun starts adjacent to the reserve every Saturday morning, so if you're a keen ParkRunner, be here for 8.30am as the car park gets busy; the route is not on the reserve, but the toilets and cafe are open early for your use.