Fairburn Ings RSPB reserve

About this reserve

Come and explore the wonderful Fairburn Ings and discover a landscape shaped by coal mining, now enjoying a second life as a haven for wildlife. ? ? Nestled between Leeds, York and Wakefield, Fairburn Ings is an exciting site for family activities and excellent wildlife watching. Over the last 60 years, Fairburn Ings has transitioned from coal face to wild place. An ex-industrial site rich in heritage, this reserve is now an important site for breeding and wintering wildfowl. Collapsed land is now open water, reedbeds, wet grasslands and wet woodlands. Former coal spoil tips have been transformed into grasslands, deciduous woodlands and lagoons teeming with life. In recent years the reserve has become home to some of the UK’s rarest birds, including Bittern, Bearded Tit, Cetti’s Warbler, Little Egret and Spoonbill. The car park has 98 spaces, with six Blue Badge spaces. Bicycle racks are available. Blue badge spaces, 100m from the Visitor Centre. No formal drop-off point. Tarmac in the car park and loose gravel elsewhere. There are no height restrictions. Please be respectful of other visitor access, our team and our neighbours by not parking on the road, verges or in gateways, as it causes an obstruction for residents and emergency services. The Visitor Centre has an accessible toilet located on the ground floor. The building is raised due to the site flooding but ramp access is available. The unisex accessible toilet has one toilet, sink and a fold down baby changing table that can be used from a seated position. There are both horizontal and vertical hand rails and…

From the RSPB, reproduced under fair-use summary for visitor information.