Frampton Marsh

Coming soon – our new café in 2022! Following visitor feedback on how to improve your visit, we are delighted to be bringing a café to Frampton Marsh. Building work has begun, which means some disruption from the 12 July through to the 5 August inclusive. Please be aware that the picnic area is closed to the public, as is a portion of the Reedbed Trail. The capacity of the car park is also temporarily reduced for the duration of the work and there will be no indoor seating, no refreshments and no welcome team until the works are complete. Most trails and hides remain open throughout the work. Please check this website and our social media for updates. We also will be closing early at 1pm on the 9 July for a large volunteering event. Thank you for your understanding.

Address: RSPB Frampton Marsh, Roads Farmhouse, Frampton Roads, Frampton, Boston, Lincolnshire PE20 1AY

Grid ref: TF356392

What3Words: left.linguists.these

Blessed with a variety of freshwater habitats, Frampton Marsh provides close views of the abundant birdlife of The Wash, one of Europe's most special places for wildlife. Avocets, redshanks, skylarks and whimbrels can all be seen in summer, with thousands of ducks gathering on the freshwater scrapes in winter.

Plan your visit

Nature reserve: open at all times
Car park: open at all times
Visitor Centre: open daily 10am-4pm
Refreshments: open daily, 10am-4pm
Toilets: open daily 10am-4pm

Festive opening times

Christmas Eve: nature reserve open at all times. Visitor centre, café and toilets closed.
Christmas Day: nature reserve open at all times. Visitor centre, café and toilets closed.
Boxing Day: nature reserve open at all times. Visitor centre, café and toilets closed.
New Year’s Eve: nature reserve open at all times. Visitor centre, café and toilets open, 10am-4pm.
New Year’s Day: nature reserve open at all times. Visitor centre, café and toilets open, 10am-4pm.
All other days in the festive period are open our usual winter opening hours as above.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: £3

Children: £1.50 (5-17 years)
Free entrance for first child
Free entrance for under 5s

Student: £2 (with a valid NUS card)

Free entrance for carers: Yes

Car park cost

There is no separate charge for parking, instead our entry fees include parking as well as:

entry for one person
use of all visitor facilities including the RSPB trails
toilets
viewing structures and picnic area.

Once you've arrived in the car park, please pay in the visitor centre.

Facilities

Visitor centre
Car park
Toilets
Accessible toilets
Baby changing
Pushchair friendly
Refreshments
Picnic area is closed
Binocular hire
Guided walks
Viewing point
Nature trails
Play area

Accessibility

Full accessibility information (external website)

How to get here

By train

Boston is the nearest train station, about 4 miles (6.4 km) away.

By bus

The nearest bus stop is in Kirton village, approximately 3 miles (5 km) from reserve. The 113 Brylaine bus and the 58 Kimes bus run from Boston from Monday to Saturday.

The ‘Call Connect’ on demand bus service from Boston operates 7am – 7pm weekdays, 8am – 6pm Saturday. For more details call 0845 2343344 or visit lincsinterconnect.com.

By bike

National Cycle Route 1 is approx 1.5 miles (2.5 km) from the reserve entrance.

By road

The reserve is signposted from the A16 between Boston and Kirton. Follow the brown signs to RSPB Frampton Marsh.

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

The Macmillan Way long-distance footpath (starting in Boston) crosses the reserve.

Get directions from Google Maps

View on What3Words

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Dogs are welcome on the public footpaths around the nature reserve. Please keep to the designated rights of way only.

Please keep your dog on a lead and under close, effective control at all times, due to the sensitive wildlife, habitats and livestock 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 and livestock can easily become startled by a loose 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 here by keeping your dog on a lead and under close, effective control.

Reedbed trail and parts of the Wash trail are not public footpaths, so sorry, no dogs are permitted here other than assistance dogs.
Dogs are welcome on the Grassland trail.
Dog water bowls and tie-up area are available at the front of the visitor centre.
Please be aware that cattle graze on parts of this site. They’re here to do an important job - creating the ideal habitat conditions for some of the special species to live in. The cattle are largely placid, but please keep a respectful distance from them.
Sorry, dogs aren’t permitted in the visitor centre other than assistance dogs.
Dogs die in hot cars, please do not leave your dog in the car when visiting us.

Bringing a flock?
We welcome group bookings.

Please notify us of your visit in advance. Whether it is to reserve coach or minibus parking, pre-book tables in our café, arrange a tailored introductory talk or organise a bespoke guided walk for your group, we can ensure that your needs are attended to.

If you are a nature tour leader, we would love to work with you to make the most of your trip for your guests.

For all group visits, please contact us on our email (lincolnshirewashreserves@rspb.org.uk) so we can arrange your visit to your specific requirements.

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 114kb

Frampton marsh trail map

Contact Frampton Marsh

RSPB Frampton Marsh, Roads Farmhouse, Frampton Roads, Frampton, Boston, Lincolnshire PE20 1AY
lincolnshirewashreserves@rspb.org.uk
01205 724678
@RSPBFrampton
Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

Avocet

Expect to see good numbers of this elegant wading bird in the spring and summer around the scrapes as they build their nests and raise their chicks.

Brent goose

Flocks of brent geese come to feed on the fields and saltmarsh in winter, down from their summering grounds of Siberia.

Hen harrier

Hen harriers are winter visitors to Frampton. Look for them gliding low over the saltmarsh or fields, hunting for small birds or mammals.

Lapwing

Their impressive aerobatic displays can be seen throughout spring and into the summer. In the winter they form large flocks on the grassland with other plovers.

Redshank

A real success story at Frampton with more than 200 pairs nesting regularly. Listen for their loud alarm calls.

In spring, passage and breeding waders, including a large avocet colony, can be seen on the freshwater scrapes and wet grasslands. Nesting lapwings and skylarks are very vocal on the wet grasslands. Keep an eye out for 'mad' march hares.

Summer is a fantastic time of year for passage waders. Frampton provides one of the best opportunities to see common and scarce waders in the country. The saltmarsh is alive with colour at this time of year - it's the best time to see hunting marsh harriers.

In autumn, the first returning brent geese can be seen grazing on the saltmarsh and wet grasslands. The highest tides of the year are in September and these can force thousands of waders to roost on the wet grasslands and freshwater scrapes. Kingfishers take up a winter residence in the tidal creeks of the marsh and on the wetland ditches. Keep an eye out for sea aster mining bees.

The winter can be spectacular, with thousands of wigeons, teals, brent geese, lapwings and golden plover all packed onto the wet grasslands. Whooper swans roost on the reedbed each night and with luck you may see a small flock of twites, or even the elusive Lapland bunting.

About Frampton Marsh

Habitat

This is a landscape surrounded by waters teeming with life. The reserve is set against the shore of The Wash, the UK’s most important estuary for wildlife. Explore freshwater wetlands, reedbeds, wet grasslands and large shallow pools known as scrapes.

Conservation

The reserve is internationally important for vast flocks of wintering wildfowl as well as migrating and breeding waders. The rich variety of habitats, such as the reedbeds, scrapes and wet grasslands, are looked after in a way to keep them in perfect condition for wildlife. But we also manage them with you in mind, helping you get closer to the stars of the show, including avocets, whooper swans, hen harriers and kingfishers.

Site information

The reserve has been designed to be as accessible as possible. Explore the reserve by heading out on our 3KM of accessible footpaths and take in the action from one of our three hides – two of which have 360-degree views. For families there’s a play area and for all there is a visitor centre offering drinks and snacks.

Latest blog posts

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

Families are always made welcome. You can get really close views of birds from the visitor centre. There's also an RSPB guide on hand who will be happy to answer your questions. Binoculars can be hired from the visitor centre and taken out around the reserve. Pond dipping nets and bug hunting kits available to hire for families at £3 per set, between May and September. There are many childrens' activities including events and treasure trails during school holidays.

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

Frampton Marsh