Discover a Yorkshire rich in wildlife…
1 Staveley
This lush wet landscape is a refuge for people and wildlife alike. Staveley’s marshes and meadows are a great place to try and spot otters, barn owls and roe deer. Wonder at rare summer wildflowers, and a wealth of warblers and breeding waders including little ringed plovers, oystercatchers and even bitterns.
2 Ripon City Wetlands
This former quarry has been transformed into a year-round haven for wildlife. Follow our family-friendly trail around the lagoons and reedbeds to spot many wild delights including stoats, snipe, and lapwings. In winter, there’s no better place to experience the jaw dropping spectacle of a starling murmuration swirling through the sky.
3 Fen Bog
4 Southerscales
Sitting at the foot of Ingleborough, the spectacular moonscape-like limestone pavement of Southerscales – one of the best in the UK – will take your breath away. Ferns burst from between the cracks, wild orchids grow on the grassland, and in summer the pavement is heavy with the scent of wild thyme.
6 Grass Wood
One of the largest and most characterful broadleaved woodlands in the Dales, Grass Wood is perfect for a walk at any time of year. Spring and summer bring rare plants like bird’s-nest orchid and green spleenwort (and the butterflies that love them), while autumn heralds a fascinating array of fungi and some stunning seasonal colour.
5 Garbutt Wood
Nestled in the North York Moors in sight of the steam railway, Fen Bog has stunning views and terrific wildlife. Listen for curlews calling, watch dragonflies dart about, and look around for unusual plants such as the flytrap-esque round-leaved sundew and white star flowers of chickweed wintergrass.
Enjoy the best view in England from the top of dramatic Whitestone Cliff at the upper end of the reserve, and then descend steeply into this spellbinding woodland to enjoy the woodland flowers of late spring, and the enchanting songs of redstarts, blackcaps and other breeding birds.
7 Little Beck Wood
This characterful woodland of oak, alder and cherry sits in a secluded valley in the North York Moors. Follow the stream and boardwalk through the reserve to spot dippers and wagtails flitting around the babbling beck, and woodpeckers hammering in the trees. In spring, the woodland floor fills with colour thanks to wood anemones, bluebells, primroses and more.
8 Filey Dams
The perfect spot for a quiet and peaceful hour watching the water, this freshwater marsh is a magnet for birds like dunlin, spoonbills and little egrets. It’s also home to a surprising range of insects, amphibians, small mammals and plants, including water voles, yellow flag irises and all three British species of newt.
Ripon City Wetlands
Yorkshire. Home to some of the most magical wildlife and wild places you’ll ever see.
Whether it’s a close encounter with puffins on spectacular white cliffs, multicolour meadows buzzing with bees and brim-full of butterflies, or wondrous wetlands welcoming wintering wildfowl and waders in their thousands, our grand and glorious part of the world is a cracking place to experience nature at its best.
With a boot in two national parks, North Yorkshire includes some of our wildest reserves, from the mountain pastures around Ingleborough through lush wetlands and dams to the woodlands in the foothills of the North York Moors.
Find out more about the 100+ reserves in our care and be inspired to go wild at ywt.org.uk/ nature-reserves
Join us at one of our great wild events! From family fun to expert encounters, there’s something for everyone in our year-round programme! Get planning how you’ll next experience Yorkshire’s incredible wildlife at ywt.org.uk/our-events
Staveley
Our members make a real and lasting difference for Yorkshire’s wildlife and wild places. Please join us today!
When you join us, you’ll enjoy:
n Unlimited free admission and parking at our visitor centres
n A subscription to our quarterly Wildlife Yorkshire magazine
n Discounts on some of our unforgettable wild events
n Invitations to exclusive experiences and more!
Plus when you pay by monthly Direct Debit, we’ll also send you a FREE copy of Discover Yorkshire’s Wildlife worth £14.99 - the most comprehensive guide to where, when and how to see wildlife in Yorkshire!
