Withymead Nature Reserve
📍 Near Goring on Thames
🌿 Nature Reserve
💷 Free
⏰ 1 - 2 hours
👣 Gentle Stroll
☕ Toilets, no cafe but cream tea once a month.
July 2026 · Nature Adventures · Nature Reserves
Patience makes perfect views of kingfishers, mice and more.
We first heard about Withymead from a volunteer running a stall at the gap festival. It sounded wonderful, especially when we heard from Simon Booker at the photography talk that if you sit in the hide and are patient, you'd be unlucky to not see any kingfishers.
So, we headed there one Sunday (it's only open Fridays and Sundays) armed with all the patience we could muster, eager to see those blue and orange masters of the riverbanks at work.
It was easy to reach by public transport, we got the train to goring and streatly and then walked along the ridgeway/ bridleway for 1.5 miles. There's also a car park if you'd rather drive. There's a toilet near the car park, which was good after I'd just remonstrated with Little Leopard that the reserve wasn't giving off "jungle wees are fine" vibes.
There's lots of information boards, maps near the entrance, and signs of the industrial past dotted around which I loved. Almost as soon as we arrived, we heard a woodpecker, and little Leopard found what we think was a tawny owl feather. We then explored the boardwalk where Little Leopard was fascinated by some super long slugs. We carried. on until we saw the kingfisher bird hide, the first one we've purposely visited, rather than stumbling into.
Someone was already in the hide, but there was enough space for us to fit in too. The other man had a fancy camera, and lens, trained onto the big stick coming out of the water. He kindly explained that he hadn't seen kingfishers yet, but he was hopeful that one would land on the branch.
We took out my iphone (my DSLR is old and cheap and noisy and I didn't want to scare away any kingfishers that might arrive). We have to start somewhere with our photography journey, and I strongly feel that kids don't need fancy cameras to benefit from sitting in a hide, making no noise, just watching and waiting.
I was really proud that Little Leopard was really quiet, really still, just watched and waited patiently, until about 20 minutes later 2 kingfishers darted through. We got some photos. If you squint hard you can kind of see the blue blurs in them. But in this endlessly digital world, it's enough to have that memory banked. I asked Little Leopard what he thought of the experience and he said "It felt good, I felt like a professional bird watcher".
After 30 minutes in the kingfisher hide, and no sign of the little birds returning, I was beginning to get restless, so we carried on exploring the other boathouse hide, the lookout, and the picnic benches by the river, where we enjoyed our packed lunches.
In the boat house hide, I didn't think it was the right time of day to spot birds, and was just saying so when a small one flapped right outside the window, startling us, before disappearing down into the reeds. We kept watching for twitching in the plants and spotted it a little later, a reed warbler.
At the waterfront decking, Little Leopard spotted "a cute little mouse", he thinks maybe a wood mouse as he knows they're tiny, and the one he spotted must have weighed very little because it was perched on a leaf.
We walked round the meadows, hopeful that we weren't too late to see the Loddon Lillies, but alas, we should have come sooner in the year. Still, it was lovely to see the meadows, the well, and learn the boat building history of the site, as well as reading about Anne Carpmael, the naturalist who bequeathed Withymead to the community.
This nature reserve feels very special, very community focussed. It's free to enter, but leave a donation if you can so that they can continue their good work. They're generally open 10 - 5 fridays and sundays but check their website before you visit to avoid a wasted journey.
Nearby Goring-on-Thames is a wonderful place to explore if you want to extend the adventure, including a walk along the Thames, or a visit to Hartslock (BBOWT site).
Nature Notes
Kingfisher
The dazzling river hunter with electric-blue feathers
Kingfishers are small brightly coloured birds often seen darting low over rivers and streams
Their brilliant blue and orange feathers shimmer in sunlight, making them one of Britain’s most striking birds
Kingfishers hunt by watching the water from low branches before diving headfirst to catch fish
They have excellent eyesight and can accurately judge the movement of prey beneath the water’s surface
Kingfishers nest in tunnels burrowed into riverbanks, where both parents help raise the chicks
Tawny Owl
The voice of the woodland
The tawny owl is Britain's most common woodland owl.
It is best known for its famous "twit-twoo" call, although this is actually made by two different owls—the female calls "twit" and the male answers with "twoo".
Tawny owls hunt mainly at night, using their excellent hearing to find mice, voles and other small animals.
Their soft feathers help them fly almost silently through the trees.
During the day they rest in tree holes or among thick branches, where their mottled brown feathers provide perfect camouflage.
Unlike many birds, tawny owls stay in the same territory all year round.
Young owls leave the nest in late spring, but they often climb around branches before they can fly properly.
Loddon Lily
The summer snowflake
The Loddon lily is a rare native wildflower.
It grows in damp meadows, wet woodlands and along the banks of rivers that flood in winter.
Its elegant white, bell-shaped flowers have tiny green spots on each petal.
Although it looks like a large snowdrop, it flowers later, usually during April and May.
The Loddon lily gets its name from the River Loddon, where it was first described.
It is a protected wildflower, so it should always be admired where it grows.
Seeing Loddon lilies is a sign that you're exploring one of Britain's special wetland habitats.
A wonderful community nature reserve, where patience is rewarded with views of kingfishers and other incredible wildlife.
Address: Bridle Way, Goring-on- Thames, RG8 0HS
Parking: Parking available.
Public Transport: Goring and Streatly train station, then a bus or 1.5 mile walk.
Opening Hours: Generally 10-5 Fridays and Sundays, check their website before travel.
Entry Fee: Free, but donations appreciated.
Website: withymead.org
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