Letcombe Valley Nature Reserve
📍 Letcombe Regis, Wantage, OX12 9JU
🌿 Nature Reserve
💷 Free
📅 Always open
⌚️1 - 2 hours
📣 Rare chalk stream, water voles, kingfishers, brown trout, Daubenton's bat, water shrews, bee orchid
🚗 Park at the village hall, then walk.
🚌 infrequent bus from Wantage. 1.5 miles walk from Wantage for more buses.
👣 Gentle stroll over variable terrain.
☕ no toilets, no cafe
August 2026 · Nature Adventures · Nature Reserves
A peaceful couple of hours exploring the nature around the rare chalk stream, and chalk grasslands.
One of only 2 chalk streams in Oxfordshire, Letcombe Valley is a lovely BBOWT site, perfect for a gentle stroll for a couple of hours. I grew up near a chalk stream in Hampshire and they maintain a nostalgic beauty for me. The shallow, clear water where it’s so easy to watch fish zip by. The beautiful plants that grow in the waters.
We found a spot to sit in for half an hour with the thermos flask, and quickly spotted and heard lots of birds including a buzzard, woodpecker, barn swallows, long tailed tit, chaffinch and goldfinches.
Little Leopard peered into the clear stream and very quickly proclaimed that he’d seen a fish zipping along very fast. I think it was a brown trout, though the plentiful information boards also told us to keep our eyes open for bullheads and brook lampreys.
As we sat there, we heard a quiet splash, maybe the plop of a water vole diving into the water. While you’re there, keep an eye out for kingfishers, otters and water shrews.
We kept walking past the grasslands which I think had recently been hand scythed. We heard lots of crickets, saw pheasants and sheep (another board told us their grazing was part of the conservation process). Look out for the anthills, as well as wildflowers like bird’s-foot trefoil, field scabius and twayblade.
We also clocked something small and distinctly mammal like scurrying about in the undergrowth. A little while later our friend Tim who joined us on the adventure declared that a cute little face had poked out to say hello. I'll take a blind guess and say possibly it was a Wood Mouse?
There’s a simple self guided nature trail to follow by the stream, through the woods and past the grassland with lots of information about the wildlife to look for, as well as the conservation efforts happening. Keep an eye out for events happening there including moth trapping and bat watching. If you go at dusk, keep an eye out for Daubenton’s bats. There are lots of benches to sit and enjoy a snack .
Drivers can park at the village hall or the cricket club and then walk to the reserve. We reached Letcombe Regis by 68 bus (a fun minibus) from Wantage, and then walked back across fields and through woods for 1.5 miles to return when we had finished exploring the reserve. Also in Wantage is the Betjamen Millennial park, and the Willow Walk Nature Reserve.
Nature Notes
Water Vole
The little riverbank engineer
Water voles are Britain's largest vole, but they're surprisingly secretive and can be difficult to spot.
They spend much of their time in burrows dug into riverbanks, with underwater entrances helping them escape from predators.
Water voles are excellent swimmers and can disappear into the water with a splash when they're startled.
They are mostly vegetarian, feeding on grasses, reeds, rushes and other plants growing beside the water.
Their rounded bodies, blunt noses and furry tails give them a very different shape from rats.
Water voles often leave distinctive neat, angled cuts on stems where they've been feeding.
They were once widespread across Britain but have suffered huge declines, making a glimpse of one a particularly special wildlife encounter.
Daubenton's Bat
Daubenton's bats are often found hunting over rivers, canals and ponds, flying low across the surface of the water.
They use echolocation to find their way around and detect tiny insects in the darkness.
Their large feet are specially adapted for catching insects from the surface of the water as they fly.
They are sometimes called the "water bat" because of their close association with waterways.
Daubenton's bats have brown fur and a pale underside, helping them blend into the darkness when they're flying over the water.
They usually emerge from their roosts at dusk, so summer evenings are a good time to look for them.
If you're standing beside a calm stretch of water at dusk, watch for a small bat repeatedly swooping low across the surface, you may have found a Daubenton's bat.
Brown Trout
The river's speckled swimmer
Brown trout live in cool, clean rivers and streams, where they shelter among stones, roots and underwater plants.
Their olive-brown bodies are covered in dark spots, often with flashes of red surrounded by pale rings.
They are excellent swimmers and can hold their position in surprisingly strong currents.
Brown trout eat aquatic insects, worms, small crustaceans and sometimes smaller fish.
Young trout feed on tiny creatures in the water before gradually taking larger prey as they grow.
They are particularly sensitive to pollution and changes in water quality, so healthy populations can be a good sign of a healthy river.
When they are ready to breed, brown trout travel upstream to shallow, gravelly areas where they lay their eggs.
If you're exploring a clear stream, look carefully into the water — a well-camouflaged trout can be surprisingly difficult to spot!
A calm couple of hours peering into the clear chalk stream to see trout, spotting mice in the grasslands and looking out for water voles and kingfishers.
Address: Letcombe Regis, Wantage, OX12 9JU
Parking: Park in the village hall, then walk.
Public Transport: 68 bus goes a few times a day. Or walk from nearby Wantage.
Opening Hours: Always open
Entry Fee: Free
Website: bbowt.org.uk
More Nature Adventures
Nature Adventures · Parks and Gardens
Stonor Park
A fun-filled day spent exploring the adventure playground, spotting deer, getting up close with birds of prey and strolling round the gardens and arboretum.
Nature Adventures · Nature Reserves
Cothill Fen
A distinctly Jurassic stroll through the most diverse area in Oxfordshire, taking in FIVE nature reserves. We saw solitary bees, fossils, woodpeckers and some impressive geology.
Nature Adventures · Nature Reserves
Thrupp Lake
A gorgeous walk from Radley Station to Abingdon under the sounding bridge, around the lake and through Barton Fields, hearing an astonishing number of birds.
Find your nearest Adventure
Please note - this map works best on desktop so that you can enjoy filtering by type of adventure, and clickable links.
