Coombes Valley

We’re delighted to have some of our facilities open for your visit, you’ll notice we’ve made some changes to help keep everyone safe. Sorry, dogs are not permitted on-site. See full facility details below. When visiting us please follow current Government guidance around travel, social distancing, group sizes, hygiene and follow all signage on-site. Unless exempt, all those who can, must please wear a face covering in our toilets. See our Covid-19 updates page for the latest safety information (link below). 

Address: RSPB Coombes and Churnet Valley nature reserve, Bradnop, Leek, ST13 7EU

Grid ref: SK009534

What3Words: tumblers.exposing.gearing

See our reserves Covid-19 updates page for which sites are open and other important details.

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.

Plan your visit

Nature reserve: open daily, 9am-9pm (or dusk if earlier).

Visitor Centre: closed.

Toilets: closed.

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 is closed
Car park
Toilets
Accessible toilets
Baby changing
Refreshments facilities are closed
Picnic area
Binocular hire is closed
Guided walks is closed
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

View on What3Words

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

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.

14 degrees, Sunny day

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 113Kb

Coombes Valley trail guide

Follow the fun! PDF, 1.7Mb

Coombes Valley children's play trail

Contact Coombes Valley

RSPB Coombes and Churnet Valley nature reserve, 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

Dipper

Look along the rocky stream for dippers' weird and wonderful behaviour.

Great spotted woodpecker

On sunny days from late winter onwards, listen for the drumming of male great spotted woodpeckers.

Pied flycatcher

They dash out from prominent perches in the trees to snap up flies in their beaks.

Redstart

Watch out for them in spring and summer shivering their reddish tails.

Woodcock

Watch for the shape of this chunky wading bird as it flies over woodland clearings.

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

Coombes Valley is a delightful oak woodland, with steep valley sides where you can find flycatchers, redstarts and wood warblers.

Conservation

The management aims of the reserve are to continue the development of the woodland to high forest of oak and ash with a varied structure and biodiversity. The RSPB also aim to maintain and enhance the woodland ecology for the benefit of the breeding birds, and the nationally important assemblage of invertebrates, including the day flying argent and sable moth. In the grassland areas we carry out extensive grazing with traditional breeds of cattle and hay making. This is for the benefit of the important floristic communities which include species such as adders tongue fern and greater butterfly orchid.

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 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. The field system has long been farmed and large areas of the reserve remain as they would have been hundreds of years ago.

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.

In August 2018 Great Crested Newts, a European protected species, found a new home in our pond dipping pond. Although this is brilliant news for this rare newt it unfortunately means we can no longer allow pond dipping as you must have a license to disturb these rare creatures. Pond dipping will now only be available to educational groups under the supervision of our contract field teacher Jo Douglas. For more information please contact Coombes.Valley@rspb.org.uk.

Please refer to our events page for updates on our events programme for families.

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.

Marshside

Lytchett Fields

Arne

Coombes Valley