Rainham Marshes

Following the latest clear instructions from the Government for us all to remain at home, we are closing our reserves to visitors until further notice. Please see our COVID19 updates page to stay up to date with developments at RSPB.
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Address
RSPB Rainham Marshes, New Tank Hill Rd, Purfleet, Essex, RM19 1SZ
Grid ref
TQ547787
See our updates page for the latest coronavirus information.

Part of the Thames Estuary, not far from the bustling streets of London, Rainham Marshes is a haven for all kinds of wildlife - birds, water voles, dragonflies and more. Enjoy an adventure into nature, whether you explore this medieval landscape on foot or by bike.

Plan your visit

Opening times

  • The reserve is open from 9.30am - 5pm from February to October, and 9.30am - 4.30pm between November and January.
  • We're closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Entrance charges

Free entrance to RSPB members
Yes
Adults
£6
Children
£3
Student
£4
Car park suggested donation

£1

Other discounts

Free entry to residents of Havering and Thurrock.

Facilities

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

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

The nearest railway station to this reserve is Purfleet. Purfleet train station is on the C2C line from Fenchurch Street. The reserve is a 20 minute walk from the station following the brown pedestrian signs along the riverside path. Turn right out of the station and then join the path at the Royal Pub. Follow the River wall path and then cross the Mardyke Bridge to the Visitor Centre.

By bus

The ensignbus 44 bus route which runs between Lakeside and Grays, stops near the reserve entrance on New Tank Hill Road. This bus runs every hour and up to 30 minutes during peak periods.

By road

The reserve is located off New Tank Hill Road (A1090) in Purfleet which is just off the A1306 between Rainham and Lakeside. This is accessible from the Aveley, Wennington and Purfleet junction off the A13 and J30/31 of the M25.

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

Group booking information

Groups are very welcome to visit the nature reserve and coach parking is available.  We ask that groups book in advance by emailing rainham.marshes@rspb.org.uk or by phone 01708 899840 so we can help ensure that you get the most out of your visit.

Youth groups are also welcome and we can offer a variety of hands on activities - please contact us to discuss arrangements. If you, your friends and family would like a VIP pond dipping session please contact us.

Occasionally, if there are already several visiting groups, or we're running a special event, we might suggest that you choose an alternative day, rather than find your favourite spots on the reserve busy (or encounter long queues in the cafe). We may also be able to offer guided walks.

Schools booking information

Bringing the curriculum to life: thrilling encounters with the natural world in an urban environment. You can choose from a selection of half or full-day programmes that will get your group exploring the natural world with exciting hands-on activities. 

Led by our professional learning staff, programmes are linked to curriculum topics EYFS-KS4 and are carefully crafted so that you and your classes get the most out of their time outdoors. 

With our innovative and sustainable Environment and Education Centre, dedicated education discovery zones and the River Thames on our doorstep, the marshes are a safe and inspiring environment for your class to get close to nature.

  • Sessions linked to the National Curriculum
  • Fully risk-assessed
  • Inclusive of all the equipment and resources you need
  • Packed with hands-on activities and fully accompanied by our staff throughout
  • Stunning location by the River Thames
  • Just a 20-minute walk from Purfleet Station on the C2C line

Find out more on our school trip pages.

What will the weather be like?

16 degrees, Sunny day

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 276Kb

Rainham Marshes trail guide

Contact Rainham Marshes

  • RSPB Rainham Marshes, New Tank Hill Rd, Purfleet, Essex, RM19 1SZ
  • 01708 899840
  • rainham.marshes@rspb.org.uk

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What will you see?

Our star species

Recent sightings

Young man watching birds on the bank of the Thames. Open weekend at Rainham Marshes RSPB Reserve

Find out about recent wildlife sightings at Rainham Marshes.

read more

Nature spectacles

There is something special to experience at Rainham Marshes all year round, but here are some of our suggestions:

  • Experience the magic of springtime as the flowers start to bloom and birds start to find a mate and make their nests. Enjoy the spectacle of tumbling and calling lapwings and redshanks displaying over the marsh, while water voles can be seen munching on plants in our ditches.
  • Summer is a great time to adventure into nature and enjoy the sights of dragonflies and damselflies skimming over pools and butterflies and bees dance around the flowers. Visit at dusk between June-August at one of our Late Night Openings to soak up the tranquillity of the marsh as the day starts to fade. There is a chance that our very nocturnal barn owls may grace us with a fly past while early emerging bats of several species hawk overhead. As the leaves change in autumn the reserve turns gloriously golden, enjoy the swirling flocks of lapwings and golden plovers shimmering in the sky.
  • Watch for peregrines diving steeply as they try to catch wading birds and ducks in winter.


Seasonal highlights

Rainham Marshes is an important area for wildlife, and a great place for visitors all year round - you can expect to see breeding wading birds and a variety of invertebrates in spring and summer. Also look out for lapwings, redshanks, wheatears, stonechats, kingfishers, hobbies, curlews, swifts, sand martins, house martins, warblers, marsh harriers, reed buntings, water voles, damselflies, butterflies, bees (such as the shrill carder bee and the brown-banded carder bee) and grass snakes.

You can expect to see breeding wading birds and a variety of invertebrates in spring and summer. Also be on the look out for reed warblers, sedge warblers, Cetti's warbler, little egrets, lapwings, swifts, starlings, yellow wagtails, yellow-legged gulls, hobbies, water voles, water shrews and wasp spiders!

In autumn you can see migrants and birds of prey. See if you can spot marsh harriers, bearded tits, migrant thrushes, finches, skylarks, meadow pipits, jackdaws, stonechats, peregrines, short-eared owls, barn owls, avocets, black-tailed godwits, pintails, wigeons, crickets, butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, stoats or weasels.

In winter, you can see large flocks of wildfowl. Keep an eye out for marsh harriers, golden plovers, water and rock pipits, little egrets, snipe, chiffchaffs, curlews, lapwings, dunlins, redshanks, shelducks, peregrines, kingfishers, short-eared owls, stoats and weasels.

About Rainham Marshes

Habitat

Rainham Marshes protects 411 hectares of ancient, low-lying grazing marsh in the Thames Estuary. Its complex of wet grassland and ditches, together with grassland and scrub, supports many breeding and wintering birds. Wildlife also includes scarce wetland plants and insects, and a key population of the nationally declining water vole.  

The RSPB is working to manage important habitats and improve their biodiversity. A former military firing range, the reserve is now developing into a great place to see wildlife, and with lots of the former military heritage still to be seen.

Scrapes and pools provide feeding and breeding habitat for waders and ducks. The woodland is great for woodland species such as small birds like warblers, woodpeckers and it is an important invertebrate refuge, especially in the area called the cordite store.

Areas of reedbeds provide home to our resident marsh harriers, bearded tits and our summer visiting warblers.

Conservation

Rainham Marshes protects an ancient, low-lying grazing marsh in the Thames Estuary. It's wet grassland, ditches and scrub, supports a variety of birds and other wildlife. Marshland birdlife includes breeding waders, such as lapwing and redshank, important numbers of wintering wildfowl, waders, and birds of prey. 

Habitat management includes grazing cattle and managing water levels, to create a mosaic of tussocky wet grassland, reedbeds and semi-permanent pools. This benefits important plant species, such as golden dock. Managing the ditch systems also benefits water voles, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.

Some areas of tall grass and scrub are left unmanaged to provide different habitats. Wildlife in these areas includes small mammals, reptiles, invertebrates and birds such as wintering short-eared owls and breeding reed buntings. We manage some small sandy areas for specialist insect life. 

Partners

RSPB Rainham Marshes has developed into a fantastic home for nature, helped by the tremendous support of many individuals, groups and organisations. In addition to RSPB members and supporters, local community members and a tireless team of volunteers, we would particularly like to thank the following organisations for their financial support:  

  • AON
  • Barclays
  • Biffa Award through the Landfill Community Fund 
  • Big Tree Plant
  • Carter Charitable Trust
  • Channel Tunnel Rail Link
  • City Bridge Trust
  • CLG Parklands
  • Department of Trade and Industry Low Carbon Buildings Programme
  • English Heritage
  • Environment Agency
  • Essex County Council
  • EU's Interreg IVA Two Seas Cross-border Cooperation Programme Urban Habitats project
  • Fulham Heating
  • GalaCoral
  • Geoplace
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Heritage Lottery Fund 
  • HSBC
  • London Borough of Havering 
  • London Cycling Campaign
  • London Thames Gateway Development Corporation
  • Natural England through Defra
  • Parklands South Essex
  • Rail Link Countryside Initiative
  • Rose Foundation
  • Royal Bank of Scotland
  • RWE npower through the Landfill Community Fund
  • Shields Environmental
  • SITA Trust through the Landfill Community Fund 
  • South Essex Green Grid
  • Sport England 
  • The Essex and Southend Sports Trust
  • The Harrison-Frank Family Foundation
  • Thurrock Council 
  • Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation
  • Tilda - Veolia Environment Trust through the Landfill Community Fund 
  • Veolia North Thames Trust through the Landfill Community Fund 
  • WREN/FCC Environment through the Landfill Community Fund

Site information

Rainham Marshes is part of the landscape of the Thames Estuary sitting on the urban fringe of London. As an important place for wildlife, it is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

It is one of very few ancient landscapes remaining in London, these medieval marshes right next to the River Thames were closed to the public for more than 100 years and used as a military firing range. 

Latest blog posts

read our blog

What people are saying about Rainham Marshes

WOW!!! It was amazing! The food was lovely, the birds were brilliant (I saw thirty nine different species!!). And the landscape was beautiful. Some of the birds I saw I hadn't seen before (ten different species to be exact) including an Iceland gull and lots of black tailed godwits. Highly recommended.

Leo Reich

have been looking forward to visiting Rainham Marshes and I wasn't disappointed. This is a truly beautiful place to go, it has a wonderful variety of birds and wildlife and the view from the cafe is magnificent. Look forward to going again.

Jane

Wow. I have waited for the opening for sometime and it was worth the wait. A totally great experience of wide open space. The center is bright and well put together, and the reserve is well laid out with great access for both able bodied, and those who are wheelchair users. It's well worth the visit.

Martin Wakeling

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

Rainham Marshes is a great day out for the whole family! You can explore this lovely reserve throughout the year, and get close to wildlife with a number of hides that give great views of wildlife, even without binoculars.

You can hire a bicycle to explore sections of the reserve, play in our adventure and toddlers playgrounds, climb our climbing boulders or join one of our family activities or events. From pond dipping, Wildlife Explorer Club, toddlers group, a camp out on the reserve, there’s lots to choose from.

The paths and boardwalks are suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs, so you can explore all year.

 

Leisure activities

Big views, big skies! You don’t have to go far to leave the city behind for a day and get some fresh air in your lungs. We have a number of hides which give great views of wildlife, even without binoculars – but you can hire a pair from us for the day, or buy a set from our range. The Thames riverside paths give lovely views across the Thames - where you will see birds, boats and London. These paths are great for jogging, cycling and walking your dog too.

Exploring the reserve throughout the year is easy via a network of good paths and boardwalks. Don’t worry if you have not been here before – come into our RSPB Purfleet Visitor Centre and we can give you a map, show you where to go and tell you about the recent sightings.

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