Staveley Nature Reserve
This circular walk takes you around the lovely Staveley Nature Reserve near Boroughbridge and Knaresborough in Yorkshire.
The wetland reserve includes a series of lakes and watercourses where you can look for a variety of wildlife including otters and various wildfowl. Keep your eyes peeled for Red kite, Tufted duck, and Reed bunting too.
There's a number of nice easy trails to follow which you can pick up from the car park near Staveley village church. In the summer months there's lots of pretty orchids with Peacock butterflies to be seen fluttering around the flowers as well.
Postcode
HG5 9LQ - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locationsStaveley Nature Reserve Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Staveley Nature Reserve Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Staveley Nature Reserve OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Staveley Nature Reserve Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Pubs/Cafes
In the village you could enjoy some refreshments at The Royal Oak. There's a charming interior with quarry tiles and genuine looking ancient beams. They have a good menu, car parking and a garden area. You can find them at 109 Main St, HG5 9LD. The pub is dog friendly.
Further Information and Other Local Ideas
Head west towards South Stainley and you could pick up the long distance Ripon Rowel. This popular waymarked trail explores the countryside around Ripon. You could follow it north and pick up the Ripon Canal Walk.
Just to the north is Newby Hall. The 17th century hall is surrounded by some beautiful parkland and gardens.
Also nearby is the magnificent Studley Park and Fountains Abbey where you will find 800 acres of parkland and gardens with miles of good footpaths to try.
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
This Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve at Staveley is noted for its birdlife, with over 200 species having been seen here in recent years.
There are a series of small lakes or lagoons to the north and west of the village. These have formed in old gravel and clay workings and are now a reserve managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
Reedbeds by the lagoon. Staveley stands out as an excellent location for observing otters, which occasionally make appearances even during daylight hours. The surrounding natural environment also provides opportunities to encounter other wildlife such as roe deer and foxes. If you find a tranquil spot and remain still, you may even catch a glimpse of smaller mammals like the water shrew and harvest mouse, especially during the quieter periods of dusk and dawn.
Village Green, Staveley
The Royal Oak in the village.
River Tutt at Carr Top Farm. The river runs along the northern edge of the reserve. The Tutt is actually a 8.7-mile (14 km) long tributary of the River Ure. The river rises near to the villages of Nidd and Scotton draining mainly arable land north eastwards before emptying into the Ure at Boroughbridge. Where the river joins the Ure in Boroughbridge, has been the site of significant historic flooding
The main hide and West Lagoon. Staveley's diverse ecosystem makes it an ideal destination for wildlife enthusiasts seeking to observe both common and more elusive species in their natural habitat.
Staveley Mill at the southern end of the reserve.