A big wetland reserve near Burscough where thousands of swans and pink-footed geese pack in through the winter months
Open to visitorscheck opening times and admission before you go
Out on the flat Lancashire mosslands near Burscough, Martin Mere is a wetland reserve run by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), the conservation charity founded by the artist and naturalist Peter Scott. Winter is the big draw, when whooper swans down from Iceland and huge skeins of pink-footed geese come in to roost on the meres and wet grassland — a real spectacle at dusk. In summer there are breeding waders, ducks and dragonflies instead. The reserve is a protected wildlife site (an SSSI), and New Lane station sits under a mile away. The Ribble Estuary and Sefton Coast reserves are both within easy reach for more birdwatching.
