Wyken Slough Nature Reserve

Until the 1970s, Wyken Slough was a popular day trip resort. Now, the 1-hectare site is a nature reserve, managed by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust in partnership with Coventry City Council.

Despite its urban setting, the well-visited reserve has become a vital habitat for a wide range of birds, amphibians, insects, and plants. It is made up of marshes, flood land, and reedbeds dominated by reed sweetgrass which provides a home for dragonflies, mayflies, and other insects, as well as offering coverage to birds such as snipes, reed buntings, meadow pipits, and the occasional jack snipe.

Wyken Pool, in the heart of the reserve, is the largest body of water in Coventry, and the rough grassland and scrub that surround it support many birds including mute swans, moorhens, grey herons, ducks, and gulls. There are plenty of benches dotted around the edge of the pool for you to take a break and watch the wildlife.

The reserve is relatively flat and there are various routes around the reserve although some of it is not suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. There is a public car park on Aldernman’s Green Road nearby.

Wyken Slough is part of the Sowe Valley Green Corridor, which links the reserve to both Stoke Floods and Stonebridge Meadow reserves.

Please note, dogs are welcome on the reserve, but must be kept under effective control.