Bodenham Lake Nature Reserve, Herefordshire.

Bodenham Lake Nature Reserve is 44.5 hectares of varied habitat including riverside meadows, veteran orchard, newly planted orchard, a ‘gravel’ area, a wet woodland and the lake itself, which is the largest area of open water in Herefordshire. It is a very important winter-feeding area for wildfowl with approximately half of the site is managed as a nature reserve, with no public access, but you can stroll through the beautiful orchards and meadows and on to the bird hide.

Highlights: Good place to see otters (especially at dawn and dusk), Great Crested grebes, cormorants and kestrel (often seen in the orchard).

Location and facilities Approximately half way between Hereford and Leominster, just off the A49. Follow signposts to Bodenham, go past the Railway inn and over the bridge and the entrance is about 1/2 mile on

Bittern in Herefordshire ?
A reader writes "I visited Bodenham Lake nature reserve in Herefordshire today. In the sightings book, someone claims to have seen a Bittern on 25th September, is this possible? Have bitterns been recorded in Herefordshire in thre past?" Click here to leave a comment.

the right before you get to the village. The site has a car park with spaces for 15 cars and there are picnic tables and benches at various spots around the site. (There are no public toilet facilities at the site). There is a very good pub/restaurant just along the road (The Railway Inn) and the nearby Queen Elizabeth Country Park has fine woodland walks and a cafe and toilets.

Grid Ref:SO529513