Tollesbury Wick Marshes

Book Tickets Online

About

Wildlife is abundant in the 600 acres of rough pasture, borrowdykes, sea walls, wet flushes, pools and saltmarsh.

Large areas of rough pasture suit small mammals such as field vole and pygmy shrew. In winter, they in turn attract hunting hen and marsh harriers and short-eared owls.

Dry grassland on the slopes of the sea walls supports a wide variety of insects, including butterflies, bush crickets and grasshoppers. In spring spiny restharrow, grass vetchling, slender hares-ear and many other wild flowers can be found in ungrazed areas.

Borrowdykes trace the inland edge of the sinuous seawall for its entire length. Common reed, sea clubrush and fennel pondweed are typical plants of these brackish areas where reed warbler and reed bunting nest in spring, and heron and little grebe search for food. Wet flushes, dykes and small pools in the pasture support aquatic plants such as water crowfoot, and breeding populations of dragonflies and other aquatic species.

Golden plover, lapwing, brent geese and wigeon feed or roost on the winter-wet grassland.

On the other side of the seawall, and within the reserve boundary, creeks, salt marsh and exposed mud support typical communities of coastal mud-dwelling invertebrates, coastal birds and salt marsh flora. Scattered shingle spits have yellow-horned poppy, and also a small breeding colony of little terns.

The main pillars of management are water level control and getting the right level of grazing to create suitable conditions for birds and other wildlife.

Book Tickets

Facilities

Accessibility

  • Disabled access

Property Facilities

  • Dogs Accepted

Target Markets

  • Coach parties accepted

Map & Directions

Road Directions

The nearest railway station is Kelvedon, which is 8 miles away.

Tollesbury Wick Marshes

Type:Nature Reserve

Off Mell Road, Tollesbury, Maldon, Essex, CM9 8SE

TripAdvisor Traveller Rating

TripAdvisor Traveller Rating - 25 reviews25 reviews
Close window

Call direct on:

Tel01621 862960

Opening Times

Season (1 Jan 2024 - 31 Dec 2024)

What's Nearby

  1. The Chapel of St Peters-on-the-Wall is the oldest church in England, situated on the…

    4.3 miles away
  2. Bradwell Cockle Spit on the Dengie Peninsular consists of some 30 acres of shell bank…

    4.47 miles away
  3. One of Europe's top Wetland sites, excellent bird watching opportunities and fabulous…

    4.56 miles away
  4. Magnificent Tudor building with the tallest Gatehouse in Britain and 16th century…

    4.94 miles away
  1. Tiptree is the home of the Wilkin family - where from 1885 the first Tiptree jam was made…

    5.17 miles away
  2. An area of worked-out flooded gravel pits to the north of the River Blackwater. It has a…

    5.49 miles away
  3. This waterway runs through a largely unspoilt part of rural Essex and connects the county…

    6.26 miles away
  4. Cudmore Grove offers visitors a trip to the seaside with a difference at the eastern tip…

    6.66 miles away
  5. The beach huts are close to the popular Splash Park and Valley Play Area as well as being…

    6.94 miles away
  6. This fantastic children's water park is located in the centre of Promenade Park in Maldon…

    6.99 miles away
  7. This 50 acre reserve is just below the crest of the Great Totham Ridge and includes 23…

    7.06 miles away
  8. Social history museum of Maldon and District situated on the edge of the award winning…

    7.2 miles away
  9. This 100 year old Edwardian park encompasses an ornamental lake, a large water Splash…

    7.2 miles away
  10. An award winning collection of British military artefacts from the English Civil War to…

    7.21 miles away
  11. Home to around 180 species and set in 60 acres of parkland and lakes, Colchester Zoo…

    7.21 miles away
  12. Gosbecks Archaeological Park is one of the most significant Iron Age and Roman sites in…

    7.4 miles away
  13. Founded in 1704 this historic library still houses Thomas Plume’s books and his small…

    7.44 miles away
  14. Nature reserve over 200 acres of mixed habitat on the Colne Estuary. Nature trails,…

    7.45 miles away
  15. The Cookery School at Braxted Park, based in Essex, combines a stunning location with…

    7.48 miles away
  16. This 15th Century former manorial home houses a unique brick spiral staircase, a Georgian…

    7.5 miles away
Previous Next

Don't Miss

Don't Miss

Don't Miss

Don't Miss

Don't Miss

Don't Miss

Don't Miss

Don't Miss

Don't Miss