Coombes Valley

Address: RSPB Coombes valley and Consall woods, Bradnop, Leek, ST13 7EU

Grid ref: SK009534

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Coombes Valley is a wonderful woodland reserve. It’s perfect for nature enthusiasts to explore and for families to have fun and play together outdoors. In spring and early summer, migrating flycatchers, redstarts and wood warblers come to breed. In winter, redwings, fieldfares and winter finches are regular visitors.

Please note that dogs are not permitted on most of the site - see the 'Information for Dog Owners' section below for further details.

Plan your visit

Nature reserve: open daily, 9am-9pm (or dusk if earlier).
Visitor Centre: open daily April-October. Closed November-March.
Toilets: open daily, 8am-8pm (April-October) and 9am-5pm (November-March).
Sorry, dogs aren't allowed on the nature reserve - see the 'Information for dog owners' section.
The public rights of way are open at all times.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free

Children: Free

Car park cost: £4 per car for non-RSPB members.

Facilities

Visitor centre
Car park
Toilets
Accessible toilets
Baby changing
Refreshments
Picnic area
Guided walks
Viewing point
Nature trails
Play area

Accessibility

Full accessibility information (external website)

How to get here

By train

The nearest railway station, Stoke on Trent, is 12 miles (19 km) away and has a taxi rank.

By bus

Bus no. 108 from Leek to Ashbourne. The bus stop is 1.2 miles (2 km) from the reserve entrance. Walk in Ashbourne direction and take first right turn (crossing the disused railway line). Follow this lane until you see the reserve entrance on the left.

Moorlands Connect will run a bus service to Coombes if requested: bookings@moorlandsconnect.co.uk (48 hours advance notice) or Tel 01335 342951. More information.

By bike

National Cycle Network - traffic-free route: nearest access near Biddulph, about 12.5 miles (20.5 km).

By road

The reserve lies off the A523 road to Ashbourne, three miles (4.8 km) east of Leek. Leave Leek on the Ashbourne road. After passing Bradnop, turn up the minor road (and across a railway line) to Apesford (signposted to RSPB Coombes Valley) - the reserve is on the left after a mile (1.6 km).

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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Sorry, dogs are not permitted on the nature reserve (except assistance dogs), due to the sensitive wildlife and habitats here.

We know that the countryside is a dog walking paradise. It’s important to remember the special surroundings here are wonderful havens for rare wildlife. Even if dogs are very well behaved, wildlife can easily become startled by a dog they perceive as a predator.

Disturbing wildlife does more than simply causing it to move away; it uses up their energy, decreasing their chance of survival regardless of season. Thank you for protecting the special wildlife by not exercising your dog here.

Other exciting dog walking routes are available to enjoy in the local area. More information here.
Dogs die in hot cars, please do not leave your dog in the car when visiting us.

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 113Kb

Coombes Valley trail guide

Contact Coombes Valley

RSPB Coombes valley and Consall woods, Bradnop, Leek, ST13 7EU
CoombesValleyandConsallWoods@rspb.org.uk
01538 384017 (please note, the phone isn't staffed daily, so email is the preferred contact).
@RSPBCoombes
Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

Common raven

Present all year, you may see them performing their acrobatic aerial displays during late winter, when they are sometimes present in large roosts.

Great spotted woodpecker

Resident through-out the year these eye catching birds are seen frequently near our Visitor Centre and viewing platform. Listen for the load drumming of the males.

Pied flycatcher

Arriving in mid-April, these eye catching birds can be seen at Coombes on the Woodland Valley loop. They are also often seen near Clough cottage and the pond there. These birds seem to have done particularly well across this site since the holly understory, below the oaks, was recently removed.

Redstart

Arriving in mid-April, these beautiful birds can often be seen on the pasture near Clough cottage. They also occur regularly on Buzzard bank.

Woodcock

Watch out for the shape of this chunky bird as it flies over the woodland clearings during the evening. You might first notice the call which sounds just like an airborne frog.

In spring, Coombes is alive with woodland birdsong. From singing blackbirds to wrens, the dawn chorus is truly something special. It's also a great time to hear great spotted woodpeckers drumming throughout the woodland. Our star summer migrants, the pied flycatcher and redstart, can be seen and heard between mid- April and late May.

In early summer, Coombes Valley is still filled with birdsong, with the woodland edges alive with the sound of warblers such as blackcaps, garden warblers and chiffchaffs. The spectacular greater butterfly orchid is in flower in late June and can be seen only a short walk from the visitor centre.

Fieldfares and redwings appear in numbers in October. Siskins and lesser redpolls appear particularly in the areas with alder trees. Down by the brook, if you're patient, dippers and grey wagtails may be seen.

Winter is a good time to watch for displaying raptors such as buzzards and sparrowhawks. The feeding station at the car park can be a good place to see great spotted woodpeckers at close quarters - perhaps a brambling if you're lucky. Early songsters like mistle and song thrushes will be bringing the woodland back to life on warmer, sunnier days.

About Coombes Valley

Habitat

This is a woodland of towering oaks hidden within a steep sided valley. Elsewhere explore grasslands bursting with life.

Conservation

The reserve is an important site for both upland and lowland woodland birds, in particular pied flycatcher, redstart, willow tit and wood warbler. It also has a nationally important variety of minibeasts, including the day flying argent and sable moths. The woodland is looked after in a way to keep it in an ideal condition for species, with the aim of increasing the array of plants and wildlife which live there. One way of doing this is by boosting the number of tall and mature oak and ash trees, as the reserve moves from woodland to being classed as high forest.

The grassland is grazed by traditional breeds of cattle and cut for hay making. This has seen rare flowers such as adders tongue fern and the greater butterfly orchid flourish.

Partners

Our work on this nature reserve is kindly supported by funds from Natural England, Forestry Commission and the Heritage Lottery Fund, RSPB local groups and supporters.

Site information

RSPB Coombes Valleys, situated on the southern edge of the Staffordshire Moorlands, is the oldest RSPB reserve in the Midlands. It opened in 1962 when it was home to the last breeding pair of sparrowhawks in Staffordshire. The nature reserve covers 100 hectares of mixed broadleaved woodland and grassland in a steep sided valley draining into the upper Trent.

The reserve is an important site for both upland and lowland woodland birds, in particular pied flycatcher, redstart, willow tit and wood warbler. Coombes Valley is designated as a Sites of Special Scientific Interest and is protected under law.

The field system has long been farmed and large areas of the reserve remain as they would have been hundreds of years ago. The reserve has a rich documented history. Medieval documents refer to Coombes Valley, describing it as a desolate waste. There are ghost stories and tales of a battle in the valley and the wood names reflect this, with both Ghost Ridge and Spiritholes Wood.

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

There is a natural play trail including a canopy walkway, den building, fairy house village, mud kitchen and much more is available year round.

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

Leisure activities

There's a fascinating nature trail here so the reserve is a good place for people of all ages to get closer to nature, although the footpaths are steep in places.

Coombes Valley