Broadway Gravel Pit Nature Reserve

Designated as a Local Wildlife Site, Broadway Gravel Pit is in a tranquil setting, offering panoramic views of the surrounding hills. It floods seasonally and, despite being just 2 hectares, plays host to plenty of different birds, as well as mammals, insects, and an abundance of plant life, throughout the year.

In spring listen out for cuckoos, chiffchaffs, bullfinches, and yellowhammers, while in the summer treecreepers, blackcaps, and mixed tit and warbler flocks can be spotted foraging amongst the trees. Visit in autumn to see whitethroats, marsh tits, and robins, and in winter look out for flocks of long-tailed tits flitting through the vegetation.

The wetlands attract mallards, moorhens, and coots to breed, as well as visiting mute swans, woodcock, and snipe in winter. If you’re lucky you may catch a glimpse of a kingfisher as it darts across the water.

There are 5 species of willow tree on the reserve which support a wide range of insects, including over 150 species of moths. Great crested newts, common toads, and common frogs are other wildlife highlights at the reserve.

There is a wooden hide on the reserve with posters inside to help you identify the birds and insects that inhabit the site, and be sure to fill in the logbook to record what you’ve seen. Numerous bird feeders are scattered through the reserve, and if you need a break there is a viewing bench under a willow woven shelter.

There is no car parking available, and although the site has marked paths these can become muddy and slippery when wet, or even impassable at times of seasonal flooding.

Please note, no dogs are permitted at this nature reserve.