Leighton Moss

Address: RSPB Leighton Moss, Storrs Ln, Silverdale, Carnforth LA5 0SW

Grid ref: SD478750

Leighton Moss boasts the largest reed bed in north-west England and is home to a wide range of spectacular wildlife including otters, bearded tits, marsh harriers, egrets and red deer. See for yourself! Visit the hides, explore the trails and enjoy amazing views from the Sky Tower.

Plan your visit

The reserve is open from dawn until dusk.
Reserve centre open 7 days a week, 9.30am - 5pm (open 9.30am - 4.30pm in December and January).
Christmas Eve - 9.30am - 3pm.
Christmas Day - visitor centre and reserve closed.
Boxing Day - 10am - 4.30pm.
New Year’s Eve - 9.30am - 3pm.
New Year’s Day - 10am - 4.30pm.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: £8

Children: £4
Free entrance for first child
Free entrance for under 5s

Student: £5.50

Other discounts

Half price entry for non-members arriving by public transport or bicycle.
Everyone can enter the cafe and visitor centre for free.

Facilities

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

Accessibility

Download full accessibility statement (PDF)

How to get here

By train

Silverdale station is on the Manchester Airport/Preston to Barrow line and is only 250 metres from the reserve. Turn left out of the station entrance, then left again and then right.

By bike

National Cycle Route 6, Regional route 90 (Lancashire Cycleway).

By road

Leighton Moss is near the village of Silverdale, just 3km (2 miles) from Carnforth and is signposted from the A6 north of M6 junction 35.

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

Dogs on leads are allowed only on very specific areas of the reserve.

We have a dog-friendly path which leads from the visitor centre for a short distance before emerging onto a road. After a short walk along the road you may join the public causeway where dogs are also allowed. Well behaved pets are also welcome in the Causeway Hide along this public pathway.

Dogs may be brought through the visitor centre and we have a dog-friendly picnic table in the garden as well as water bowls for thirsty pets.

Unfortunately dogs are not allowed elsewhere on the reserve.

Staff and volunteers at the reception will be happy to give you further details and directions upon arrival.

Group visits are welcome but we ask that parties of more than ten people notify the reserve in advance of their visit. Coach visits are required to pre-book.

Come along to our stunning reserve and bring your classroom learning to life with a selection of fascinating wildlife experiences. Our National Curriculum linked learning sessions are led by qualified, enthusiastic leaders and are designed to support a range of classroom topics to suit all abilities. The reserve has a variety of awe-inspiring habitats including woodland, reedbed, streams ponds as well as a large classroom (The Holt) and award-winning visitor facilities. For full details of our programmes and offer for schools, visit our school trip ideas page.

To book your visit or to find out more, contact schoolbookings@rspb.org.uk or call 0191 233 4315.

15 degrees, Sunny day

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 677Kb

Leighton Moss trail guide

Contact Leighton Moss

RSPB Leighton Moss, Storrs Ln, Silverdale, Carnforth LA5 0SW
leighton.moss@rspb.org.uk
01524 701601
@Leighton_moss
Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

Avocet

Avocets can be seen from the hides overlooking the Allen and Eric Morecambe Pools in spring and summer.

Bearded tit

A year-round attraction here in the extensive reedbeds. They form flocks in autumn.

Bittern

Bitterns may be present all year round but they are easier to see in the winter. On frosty days they can often be seen sitting at the edge of the pools or walking across the ice.

Marsh harrier

Marsh harriers may be seen all-year round and in spring they can be seen skydancing over the reedbeds.

Water rail

Watch out for Water rail venturing onto exposed mud when the water drops in late summer and autumn or onto ice in winter.

Nature spectacles

There are amazing sights to see and hear all year round at Leighton Moss. Spring sees the return of breeding marsh harriers when the birds engage in stunning aerial sky dances and the reedbeds come alive with the sound of singing warblers.

Dazzling wetland flowers and dazzling dragonflies add a splash of colour to the reserve in summer and otters fish for eels in the deeper meres. Autumn can bring huge numbers of waders to the area and visitors can catch glimpses of rutting red deer on calm evenings. Most winters vast starling murmurations may be seen swirling above the vast reedbeds as thousands of birds flock together before going to roost. Meanwhile large numbers of little egrets will gather in the trees at dusk, looking like festive decorations in the fading light.

In spring watch marsh harriers skydancing high above the reedbeds. Birdsong fills the air as resident birds and newly arrived migrants such as sedge and reed warblers claim their breeding territory.

On the Allen and Eric Morecambe pools, large flocks of black-tailed godwits stop off on their way to Iceland and the first avocets return to nest.

Summer sees the spectacular sight of marsh harriers engaging in aerobatic food-passes while red deer can be seen grazing by the Tim Jackson and Grisedale meres in the evenings. A succession of marsh flowers such as flag iris and woody nightshade bloom along the reserve tracks as dazzling dragonflies and damselflies shimmer in the sunlight.

Parties of bearded tits gather in family parties to gather grit from the trays along the causeway in the autumn months and huge flocks of starlings may be seen wheeling above the reedbed before going to roost.

Wildfowl and waders arrive from their northern breeding grounds to spend the winter on the reserve and otters, bitterns and water rails can be seen out on the ice during cold spells. Flocks of wigeons and greylag geese graze the saltmarsh at the Allen and Eric Morecambe pools, and are regularly disturbed by hunting peregrines and merlins.

About Leighton Moss

Habitat

Leighton Moss’ diverse habitats include reeds, woodland and limestone grassland. It also incorporates extensive areas of mudflats, coastal marsh and saltwater lagoons along the shores of nearby Morecambe Bay.

Extensive reed-fringed wetlands providing a home for nationally and regionally important breeding populations of bearded tits, marsh harriers, reed warblers and bitterns.
Mixed woodland with nesting marsh tits, nuthatches, bullfinches and tawny owls as well as roving long-tailed tits, treecreepers and woodpeckers.
Wildlife ponds supporting dragonflies and damselflies, as well as newts, toads, frogs and fish such as pike, eel and perch.
Coastal saltmarsh lagoons attracting large numbers of wading birds including avocet, oystercatcher, curlew, redshank and dunlin.

Conservation

Our reedbed is the largest in northwest England and is home to important breeding birds such as bearded tits, marsh harriers and water rails. Other wildlife includes otters, bitterns and wintering wildfowl.

Our work includes extensive reed cutting in summer and winter, while managing the water levels all year round. In recent years we have also restored a further 200 hectares of reedbed. The mudflats and saltmarsh around Morecambe Bay support important wintering populations of oystercatcher and knot, as well as breeding redshanks and wintering wildfowl.

We are grazing the inner marsh with cattle in order to maintain suitable conditions for these birds at all times of year. The limestone grassland and woodland supports a large variety of nationally important plants and invertebrates, including the rare high brown and pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies. We are managing the woodland with rotational coppicing and grazing the grassland with cattle.

Partners

Supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund. Warton Crag Restoration Project supported by Lancashire Environmental Fund, Arnside & Silverdale AONB Grants Fund, and the Morecambe Bay Partnership.

Site information

Leighton Moss sits within the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

It is designated as a Ramsar site as well as SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and SAC (Special Area of Conservation). The coastal areas are also designated SAC (Special Areas of Conservation).

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What people are saying about Leighton Moss

An absolutely brilliant trip. 14 scouts and 5 leaders all had a very interesting, educational and fun day out. Thank you for a very well prepared and interesting presentation. We will be back for more.

Lisa Clifford

It may have only been a brief visit to the reserve and the saltmarshes but every second was worthwhile. Leighton Moss is FANTASTIC - I can't wait to come back in May!!! I had three new species from the site alone, so if you haven't been yet - WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?????

Scott Petrek

I went to Leighton Moss as part of a school trip to Arnside and it was absolutely fascinating. I have already been recommending it to people. Big thanks to Angela and all the other staff at Leighton Moss.

Alex Caraher

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

Ever wanted to explore the great outdoors with your family? At Leighton Moss we offer a unique chance to get immersed in a wild place and learn about nature. There are lots of activities and events on throughout the year to inspire nature loving families.

We have Wildlife Explorer backpacks, binoculars and, in season, pond-dipping kits to hire and you can visit The Holt where you will find interactive display panels and activities for the children of all ages. Explore the Wild Challenge Quiz Trail to discover more about the wildlife of Leighton Moss.

High chairs and children’s books are provided in the café.