Filsham Reedbed
One of the largest reedbeds in Sussex, on the western edge of St Leonards, with a boardwalk out into the reeds
Filsham Reedbed fills the bottom of the Combe Haven valley where it meets the edge of St Leonards, a 19-hectare spread of reeds, ditches and wet woodland that the Sussex Wildlife Trust has managed since the 1970s. The reedbed is a local nature reserve and part of the Combe Haven Site of Special Scientific Interest (an SSSI, protected for its wildlife). A raised boardwalk takes you into the middle of the reeds to a viewing area. Summer is loud with reed and sedge warblers; in winter you might spot a bittern in the reeds, or a marsh harrier or short-eared owl hunting over them, and Cetti’s warblers, water rails and bearded tits are here all year. More than a thousand kinds of insect and other invertebrate have been recorded, including about 20 dragonflies and damselflies. Paths beyond the boardwalk get muddy in winter, so boots help. West St Leonards station is about 1km southeast.
