Fingringhoe Wick nature reserve
Location
South Green Road Fingringhoe
Know before you go
Dogs
We have designated dog trail which is approximately 1 mile. Dogs are not permitted in the Nature Discovery Centre or on events.
When to visit
Opening times
Fingringhoe Wick nature reserve is open 7 days a week. See centre details for opening times.Best time to visit
All year roundAbout the reserve
Fingringhoe Wick was Essex Wildlife Trust's first nature reserve (1961), some years later it was where the Trust opened their first visitor centre. Sixty years on visitors are still coming to see this magical place.
It has a long and fascinating history, with evidence of Roman occupation in the area. For many years it was farmed before later being sold for sand and gravel extraction. From the early 1900s to the late 1950s, the site became a busy industrial landscape, with materials transported by river to London. Remnants of this industrial past can still be seen around the reserve today.
When Essex Wildlife Trust acquired the site, it was a barren, lunar-like landscape. Dedicated conservation work transformed it into the rich mosaic of habitats seen today, including grassland, gorse heathland, reedbeds, ponds, meadows and scrub.
Now designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Fingringhoe Wick is a thriving 200-acre (80-hectare) wildlife haven supporting up to 200 species of birds, 27 species of dragonflies and damselflies, 24 species of butterflies, and over 350 species of flowering plants, alongside mammals such as adders and badgers.
Today, Fingringhoe Wick is one of the finest nature reserves in the county, offering something for everyone throughout the year, from families and school groups to organised wildlife groups, expert birdwatchers, enthusiastic beginners and walkers alike.
Fingringhoe Wick Nature Discovery Centre is located within the reserve and offers a range of visitor facilities. It features a café serving hot and cold drinks, sandwiches and snacks, alongside a well-stocked shop offering wildlife gifts and binoculars. Facilities include toilets with accessible and baby-changing provision, a picnic area, bird hides, and indoor seating. A meeting room is available for hire, with events and activities running all year round.
Find out more about Fingringhoe Wick Nature Discovery Centre
Contact us
Environmental designation
Fingringhoe is a wonderful place to visit at any time of year
Spring at Fingringhoe Wick sees adders emerging from hibernation and the return of migrant birds, including the site’s well-known nightingales, with around 1% (30–40 pairs) of the UK population breeding here before heading back to Africa. Their song can be heard across the reserve alongside chiffchaff, whitethroat and cuckoo, with plants such as thyme-leaved speedwell, foxglove and common vetch, and butterflies including orange-tip and speckled wood.
In summer, the saltmarsh is rich with colour from sea lavender, while species such as marsh harrier, turtle dove, sand martin, swallow and hobby can be seen overhead. Reptiles including common lizard, slow worm and grass snake are also present, alongside plants such as common spotted orchid, green alkanet and lesser calamint.
Autumn brings sightings of avocet and turnstone, as well as a variety of fungi including fly agaric, parasol mushroom and puffballs. During the seasonal “berry feast”, visitors are asked not to pick fruit so it can support wildlife.
In winter, the estuary supports thousands of waders and wildfowl, with up to 700 avocets alongside species such as brent goose, golden plover, lapwing, dunlin, teal, wigeon and red-breasted merganser, with raptors including peregrine and merlin also present.
The hides offer the best views of estuary wildlife, particularly in autumn and winter, with two hours either side of high tide providing the optimum viewing conditions for waders.
