Saltholme

Address: RSPB Saltholme, Seaton Carew Rd, Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough TS2 1TP, UK

Grid ref: NZ506231

If you're new to birdwatching, Saltholme is the perfect place to start. These family-friendly wetlands have a helpful visitor's centre, hides and screens which let you get up close to water rail, yellow wagtails and terns, plus a family discovery zone, cafe, play area and accessible trails.

Plan your visit

Open every day except Christmas Day.

From 1 April - 31 October we’re open 9:30am - 5pm, and from 1 November - 31 March, 9:30am - 4pm.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free, but donations are very welcome.

Children: Free, but donations are very welcome.

Car park cost: £5 per car for non-RSPB members but if you are visiting only the cafe and or shop and are staying an hour or less, it is free.

Other discounts: Come by bike, public transport or on two feet and it won’t cost you a penny, no matter how long you stay.

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

The nearest railway station is in Middlesbrough, with trains from York, Whitby, Newcastle and Leeds. The connecting bus service to Saltholme is the number 1 from Middlesbrough (towards Hartlepool, High Tunstall).

By bus

The nearest bus stop is outside the entrance to Saltholme, on the Seaton Carew Rd. The Number 1 stops here and is run by stagecoach in Hartlepool.

By road

Saltholme is 10 minutes from the A19. Turn East off the A19 north of Stockton along the A689. After half a mile, take the A1185; in 4 miles join the A178 at a mini roundabout and take the 3rd exit. The reserve entrance is 250 metres on the right-hand side.

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

Saltholme is connected to the extensive network of cycleways around Stockton and Middlesbrough. There is a cycle track across the reserve to the visitor centre that is accessed through Port Clarence and is open during reserve opening hours.

Get directions from Google Maps

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

We welcome groups of different kinds visiting us - it can be helpful for you to let us know in advance. If you want a guided walk or something specially for your group, please contact us on 01642 546625 or saltholme@rspb.org.uk and we will see if we can help. Special charges may apply so please talk to us before booking.

With the chance to experience a wonderful range of wildlife in the heart of an industrial landscape, Saltholme can provide an exciting venue for your school trip. There is a range of habitats that your class can explore on an experience led visit or more formal field work.

The well equipped visitor centre has a classroom and toilet facilities and is close to the special outdoor Discovery Zone, complete with pond dipping and minibeast hunting area and a light filled wildlife viewing hide.

We have everything you need for a fun, safe and educational visit. Interested? Have a look at the list of programmes, which are designed to last two hours. Two programmes can be combined in a full day. Contact schoolbookings@rspb.org.uk or call 0191 233 4315.

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Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 131Kb

Saltholme trail guide

Contact Saltholme

RSPB Saltholme, Seaton Carew Rd, Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough TS2 1TP, UK
saltholme@rspb.org.uk
01642 546625
@RSPBSaltholme
Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

Common tern

Stop by Saltholme Pools Hide or Paddy's Hide during spring or summer to see our breeding colony.

Lapwing

One of Saltholme's most constant residents, lapwings can be seen displaying and nesting during spring and summer.

Peregrine

They can be seen throughout the year, with several using the site as a hunting ground.

Water rail

From our viewing points, water rails can be seen feeding at the edge of channels and pools within the reedbed all year round.

Yellow wagtail

These arresting little birds are regular summer visitors to Saltholme, with several pairs nesting on site.

Nature spectacles

In Autumn and Winter, enjoy the spectacle of many hundreds of wildfowl grazing our wet grassland.

Large numbers of starlings roost in our reed beds and we often enjoy dramatic murmurations as they drop into the reed beds at night during November/December.

Spring and summer sees the return of favourite visitors, as sand martins once again fill the skies and our special nesting bank. Our ears are assailed with the sound of common terns and black headed gulls as they squabble and nest on our special cockleshell islands.

Let’s not forget the seals that swim up Greatham Creek, a tidal creek at the northern end of the reserve. Visible throughout the year, depending on the tide, it's a fantastic sight - currently viewable with a live "seal cam" from the visitor centre.

At Saltholme there is always the chance of a bittern skulking in the reeds, a marsh harrier quartering the reed beds for a meal, a peregrine scaring every bird on the site or a water vole swimming along a ditch.

In March and April, lapwings can be seen performing their weird and wonderful displays and starting to nest on the grassland. Loads of sand martins and swallows return to Saltholme and spend their time skimming across the pool surfaces, catching insects. At the start of May, common terns begin to return to nest on the cockleshell islands.

Visit Paddy's Pool Hide and Saltholme Pools Hide to see the stripy, fluffy young great crested grebes riding around on their parents' backs. You'll love the enchanting sight of our young ducklings, such as gadwall, pochard, tufted duck, shelduck and mallard.

Autumn sees migrant wading birds, such as black-tailed godwit, ruff and green sandpiper continue to pass through. A few rarities such as curlew sandpiper, little stint, spoonbill, pectoral sandpiper and lesser yellowleg, might just be seen as they stop off for short periods on their migration. Huge, shimmering flocks of golden plovers and lapwings arrive to spend winter with us and can be seen around pool edges and on grassland.

Waders and wildfowl such as golden plover, lapwing, curlew, wigeon, teal, shoveler and gadwall gather in their thousands, roosting and feeding across the wet grasslands and pools. One of the most awesome spectacles is seeing massive flocks of roosting birds panic and fly into the air as peregrines hunt over Saltholme. Large flocks of starlings often roost in our extensive reedbeds, delighting us with their murmurations as they drop into the reeds at night.

About Saltholme

Habitat

Reed beds are one of our really important habitats. As well as benefiting birds such as water rails, reed buntings and reed warblers, many insects are also reliant on reedbeds as habitat. A mixture of other habitats can be found here including open pools, scrapes, wet grassland and a meadow.

Conservation

We're looking after wet grassland areas of the reserve both as part of the larger Tees and Hartlepool Foreshore and Wetlands Site of Special Scientific Interest, and for the Teesmouth and Cleveland Special Protection Area. This is for the benefit of the nationally important numbers of wintering wildfowl and waders including golden plover, lapwing and wigeon, which graze the grass or peck at creepy-crawlies here. We have sheep and cattle which help us manage the grassland making sure it's all good for the species which rely on us.

Saltholme is home to one of the UK's largest inland breeding colony of common tern, which arrive each spring to nest on the cockleshell-covered islands in our open pools. The islands provide the ideal nesting site for these birds, as they are away from predatory mammals and accidental trampling.

We control water levels in the shallow open water pools and 'scrapes' to create muddy edges and bare areas for the large numbers of wading birds which stop off at the site during migration.

Teesside Environmental Trust (TET) was established in April 1998 with the aim of providing a nature reserve of international importance at Saltholme. TET agreed to partner with the RSPB in early 2000 and in August 2007 the whole of the 1000-acre site was leased to the RSPB.

Partners

The RSPB and Teesside Environmental Trust would like to thank all our funders and supporters who are helping us create Saltholme.

Teesside Environmental Trust
Tees Valley Partnership
The European Regional Development fund via the Government Office for the North East
Sembcorp Utilities
The Heritage Lottery Fund
Augean
Stockton Borough Council
SABIC
UK Petrochemicals
SITA Trust
Impetus Environment Fund
Environment Agency
Tees Valley Wildlife Trust
INCA Teesside
Biffa Award
Shears Foundation
Northumbrian Water
HMP Kirklevington
Exwold Technology
PD Ports
Fine Industries

Site information

Four wildlife viewing hides, along with viewing screens and the viewing gallery in the visitor centre, to help you get closer to the wildlife which calls Saltholme home. Still wanting more? From early spring to mid-summer all manner of plants and flowers bloom in the walled garden, designed by celebrity gardener Chris Beardshaw.

Satellite Sites
In addition to the main reserve, we have several satellite sites nearby.

Dorman’s Pool situated just off Huntsmans Drive is a birdwatching haven and is for the exclusive use of RSPB members and Teesmouth Bird Club members. There is access all the time (hide open 10am-4/5pm). Ask the team at reception if you need some advice and head over with your membership card and binoculars and get ready to enjoy the wildlife.
Greatham Creek situated approximately 1.5 miles north of the main site, along the A178, is the seal viewpoint. Accessed by a safe path from a small car park, the viewpoint gives stunning views of the harbour seal colony – up to 80 seals can be seen if the tide is right. Ask at reception for directions and information on the best times to view. The viewpoint is open all the time.
Saltern Wetlands is on the north side of Greatham Creek and a public footpath (open all the time) allows access through from the A178 to Greatham village. New habitat is being created as the sea inundates this area at high tide.

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What people are saying about Saltholme

When you walk either up the car park or by the footpath from the very moment you enter the place, the wildlife greets you on the way in! Absolutely outstanding and I've been recommending this to friends as a matter of 'you MUST visit Saltholme!' So easy to get to as well - personally, I was utterly amazed... usually, one has to do a lot of legwork to be able to reach any country park or nature reserve, but Saltholme? the bus takes you right outside (if you are sans car). It truly is a feast for the eyes and the senses - who'd have thought a place like this could co-exist in an area known for its heavy industry? Seriously can't wait to go again and again and again! There was so much to see that we just couldn't do it all in one visit, so there's our excuse right there! The whole place is truly amazing, and I reckon by this time next year, the whole place will be teeming with even more life as migratory birds 'pass good word on' about Saltholme. :-)

A A F

This was my first visit here - what an oasis. Great place to unwind and be at one with nature in a truly great setting. The staff were very helpful and informative, the shop well-stocked and the cafe very welcoming on such a cold day. I was so impressed that I couldn't fill the joining form out quick enough. I will be back soon.

Tony Brunton

Have just made our first of what I am sure will be many visits to this amazing new site. The industrial landscape gives a very special atmosphere and it was great to see so many different species of bird within easy viewing distance. I would highly recommend it to anyone, and to sit and enjoy the view from the coffee shop in more inclement weather may become one of our favourite weekend hobbies. Well done RSPB - and it is nice to have something right on our doorstep!

Alison Wheelhouse

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

Saltholme has everything to help your family enjoy and discover more about nature. Rugged pushchairs are available to hire free of charge. There’s adventure play, events and activities at weekends and school holidays, Wildlife Explorer packs available to hire every day and family pond dipping kits are available from April to the end of October. With volunteers to help you make the most of your time, you’ll be able to discover more about Saltholme’s nature together and have lots of fun at the same time.

Leisure activities

Saltholme's main trails are accessible and, with a cafe with a stunning view, Saltholme is an ideal location to meet friends and catch up on news. Newly refurbished wildlife hides, one of which has automatic doors, make it even more pleasant to enjoy what Saltholme has to offer. There are views of Middlesbrough's iconic transporter bridge, Amish Kapoor's "Temenos" sculpture as well as an excellent view of Roseberry Topping.