Cley Marshes

PLEASE NOTE: Footpath renovation work is being carried out at Cley and there may be some diversions in place on the reserve. All hides are open as normal but occasionally the diversions may restrict wheelchair access. Please enquire at the visitor centre for the latest information.

ALSO: Winter opening hours from Mon 31 Oct. Visitor Centre closes at 4pm (cafe at 3.30pm)

NWT Cley Marshes is Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s oldest and best known nature reserve. It was purchased in 1926 making it the first Wildlife Trust reserve in the country. 2011 is its 85th anniversary!

The shingle beach and saline lagoons, along with the grazing marsh and reedbed support large numbers of wintering and migrating wildfowl and waders, as well as bittern, marsh harrier and bearded tit.

A new eco-friendly visitor centre opened in 2007 containing a café, shop, viewing areas (including viewing from a camera on the reserve), exhibition area, interpretation and toilets. Despite being only four years old the new centre has already had its first re-paint in time for spring 2011.

The view from the visitor centre across the Marsh to the sea is breathtaking.

Click here to download the reserve leaflet for points of interest (0.5mb).

Dogs Policy:
NWT no dogs policy. Visitors with dogs can walk Beach Road, along shingle bank (Northern reserve boundary) and East bank – from here you can see some areas of the reserve.

Post code:

NR25 7SA

Contact Number:

01263 740008

Reserve information and details
What to see at Cley Marshes

Opening times

Season	Opening Days	Opening Hours
1 March to 31 October	Everyday	10am to 5pm
1 November to 28 February	Everyday except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day	10am to 4pm, cafe closes 3.30pm

Prices

There is a small charge for access to the reserve for adult non-members, though parking and entry to the visitor centre and café is free.

Non-members:	£5.00 (with Gift Aid)
Members and children:	Free

Directions and Transport

Cley Marshes is on the north Norfolk coast, on the A149 coast road, 6km north of Holt. The visitor centre and car park are easily accessible on the landward side of the road. Entrance is located directly across the A149 coast road from the car park. The Coasthopper bus service stops just outside the nature reserve.

Facts

Type:	Reedbed, pools, wet grassland
Size:	160 Hectares
Designation:	SPA, SAC, SSSI, Ramsar
Map reference:	OS Landranger 133
Grid reference:	TG 054 440

Did you know?

NWT Cley Marshes was purchased in 1926 to be held 'in perpetuity as a bird breeding sanctuary'. It was NWT's first nature reserve and provided a blue print for nature conservation which has now been replicated across the UK.The water levels in the pools and reedbeds are regulated to ensure they are ideal for the resident birds, and reed is harvested every year to keep the reedbeds in good condition.

Facilities

Environmentally friendly visitor centre. Wildlife Detective Bumbags for children are free to use. Five hides (with excellent wheelchair access) provide bird watching within metres of the pools where the birds congregate. Reserve leaflet and information boards. Discover the audio trail and enjoy the wonderful sounds as well as the spectacular sights found at Cley Marshes.

Please note the cafe closes 30 minutes before the Visitor Centre.

Visitor centre

The award-winning visitor centre has a café and gift shop as well as a remote-controlled wildlife camera and audio-visual presentations about the changing coastline.

The Feathered Marsh is a beautiful short timelapse film made by Elixir Media Productions with the support of Norfolk Wildife Trust. It was filmed entirely at Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Cley Marshes nature reserve in 2011, the reserve's 85th anniversary. For further details of Elixir Media follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

'Cley - Walks With the Warden' is a short film that joins one of the reserve's weekly guided walks with current warden Bernard Bishop, whose great-grandson Robert Bishop was the site's first warden way back in 1926. The film was made by Norwich filmmaker Matthew Robinson. To find out more about his work visit: http://matthewrobinsonfilm.blogspot.com/p/about.html

Upcoming Closures

Christmas Day: the reserve and visitor centre are closed.

What to look for

Spring/summer

avocet, spoonbill, various waders.

Autumn/winter

wigeon, pintail, brent goose, wintering wildfowl, various seabirds.

Year round

bittern, marsh harrier, bearded tit, teal.

Audio Trail

We have a fantastic audio trail at NWT Cley Marshes. Listen in on the personal reflections of ten people as they discuss what makes NWT Cley Marshes a special place for them. Learn about the reserve’s history, wildlife, management and future through a 20-minute audio trail that can be hired free of charge from Cley visitor centre. Through this interactive interpretation we hope people will see the reserve in a new light and understand why we think it is such a fantastic place both for people and wildlife. It is also available to listen online! Click on the track links below:

Track 1
Track 2
Track 3
Track 4
Track 5
Track 6
Track 7

The audio trail is made possible with thanks to www.audiotrails.co.uk