Short birdwatching visit · Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust
Kelham Bridge
- Tier
- Good stop nearby
- Best season
- Late spring and summer for warblers
- Headline birds
- Osprey · Merlin · Kingfisher
- Parking
- Use Sence Valley Forest Park about one kilometre south, or the grassy area to the right of the reserve entrance gates, as directed by the Trust.
- Hides
- Bird hides overlook the reserve, but the Trust says they are not wheelchair accessible.
- Step-free
- The narrow entrance and inaccessible hides limit access; no fully accessible route is established.
Near Ravenstone and Ibstock
Kelham Bridge is a wetland reserve north of Ibstock, where naturally flooding ground and reedbeds provide a focused birdwatching stop. Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust names Whitethroat, Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler among its summer birds, with late spring highlighted for birdwatching. Hides allow views into the wetland without entering the more sensitive habitat. The public entrance is behind the treatment works, but that does not give access to the works themselves. Paths can be boggy and the entrance includes a stile or a narrow gap beside a gatepost.
Birds and seasons
- Osprey · Headline bird — Season not stated by the source Source for Osprey
- Merlin · Headline bird — Season not stated by the source Source for Merlin
- Kingfisher · Headline bird — Season not stated by the source Source for Kingfisher
- Grasshopper Warbler — Late spring Source for Grasshopper Warbler
- Little Ringed Plover — Season not stated by the source Source for Little Ringed Plover
- Grey Partridge — Season not stated by the source Source for Grey Partridge
Plan your visit
- Hides and viewpoints
- Bird hides overlook the reserve, but the Trust says they are not wheelchair accessible.
- Paths
- Paths can be boggy. Entrance is over a stile or through a squeeze-around beside a gatepost.
- Toilets
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Parking
- Use Sence Valley Forest Park about one kilometre south, or the grassy area to the right of the reserve entrance gates, as directed by the Trust.
- Dogs
- Dogs must be on leads.
- Access notes
- The narrow entrance and inaccessible hides limit access; no fully accessible route is established.
- Step-free access
- The narrow entrance and inaccessible hides limit access; no fully accessible route is established.
Getting there: Travel north from Ibstock along Ravenstone Road to the reserve’s public entrance behind the treatment works. The pin is the Trust’s published reserve point; use its separate parking directions and keep operational access clear.
Sources
Social preview: original typographic artwork by Does Your Duck Quack.
Nearby special trips
- Budby South Forest · 37.8 straight-line miles
- Aqualate Mere National Nature Reserve · 38.6 straight-line miles
- Eastern Moors · 39.9 straight-line miles
Continue birding nearby
Nearest full guide: Attenborough Nature Reserve, 15.3 miles away in a straight line.
- Charnwood Lodge National Nature Reserve · 3.9 miles in a straight line
- Charley Woods · 4.7 miles in a straight line
- Alvecote Pools · 10.6 miles in a straight line