Plan your visit
🦅 Birds🦉 Wildlife🐶 Dogs
Public access Free entry Dogs welcome 2 ha
Places › England › Eastern › Chelmsford Getting here
51.61811, 0.55296
Open directionsv Visiting this summer
Seasonal nature notes and what to look for now
▾ 🐦 56+ species recorded in this area — summer evenings are best for activity; watch for Woodpigeon and Blue Tit 🐕 Early mornings are best for dog walks in summer — visit before 9am to avoid the heat and find quieter trails 🅿️ Parking 487m away — 2 car parks within reach 🌤️ Visiting this summer
🐦 56+ species recorded in this area — summer evenings are best for activity; watch for Woodpigeon and Blue Tit 🐕 Early mornings are best for dog walks in summer — visit before 9am to avoid the heat and find quieter trails 🅿️ Parking 487m away — 2 car parks within reach £ Free to visit — no entry charge🐕 Dogs welcome🦅 Bird watching
Very strong match
Birds — Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Magpie +53 more · last seen 2026; Birds — Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Magpie +53 more · last seen 2026
Free
🦉 Wildlife
Very strong match
Multi-group wildlife — Birds, Mammals; Multi-group wildlife — Birds, Mammals
Free
Dogs allowed — public woodland
Free
🦋 Insect spotting
Strong match
Insects — Marmalade Hoverfly, Green Shieldbug, Eristalis tenax +29 more · last seen 2026; Insects — Marmalade Hoverfly, Green Shieldbug, Eristalis tenax +29 more · last seen 2026
Free
Deciduous woodland — fungi, berries and wild garlic
Varies
Trails nearby Within roughly 5 km 2 signed routes nearby · 8 public paths nearby
Signed route nearby Public paths
Accessible Route, Rayleigh Mount Walking route 600 m ▾
Gravel path with inclines around Rayleigh Mount.
AccessAble: https://www.accessable.co.uk/national-trust/access-guides/rayleigh-mount-the-mount-national-trust
Named route Length 600 m Duration 00:30 Round trip Local walking route
Show on map St Peter's Way Walking route 66 km ▾
Named route Length 66 km Regional walking route
Show on map 5 signed routes nearby
Signed route nearby
National Cycle Route 16 Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref 16 National Cycle Network
Show on map Main Route Cycling route 934 m ▾
Named route Ref 16 Length 934 m National Cycle Network Traffic-free Surface asphalt
Show on map Main Route Cycling route 1.6 km ▾
Named route Ref 16 Length 1.6 km National Cycle Network Traffic-free Surface asphalt
Show on map N/A Cycling route 44 m ▾
Named route Length 44 m National Cycle Network Traffic-free Surface asphalt
Show on map N/A Cycling route 145 m ▾
Named route Length 145 m National Cycle Network Traffic-free Surface asphalt
Show on map Photos Railway Bridge in Shotgate Thickets
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Weather for this location Next 14 days Nearby places Useful places within 5 km
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id: 6fd303e9-4f6b-4673-984b-8c5fadfcbfa4
UK green spaces mapped from open public data — so anyone can find the woodland, trail, or nature reserve closest to them.
© 2026 Glade · Made with care for UK green spaces
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Wildlife to spot
4,780 records · National Biodiversity Network
▾
Wildlife to spot 4,780 records · National Biodiversity Network Woodpigeon · Blue Tit · Magpie · Goldfinch · Robin +39
Woodpigeon Columba palumbus2025 Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus2025 Magpie Pica pica2025 Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis2025 Robin Erithacus rubecula2025 Blackbird Turdus merula2025 Wren Troglodytes troglodytes2025 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus2025 House Sparrow Passer domesticus2025 Great Tit Parus major2025 Whitethroat Curruca communis2025 Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita2025 Carrion Crow Corvus corone2025 Stock Dove Columba oenas2025 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major2025 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos2025 Moorhen Gallinula chloropus2025 Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla2025 Starling Sturnus vulgaris2025 Jay Garrulus glandarius2025 Kestrel Falco tinnunculus2025 Dunnock Prunella modularis2025 Song Thrush Turdus philomelos2025 Swallow Hirundo rustica2025 Green Woodpecker Picus viridis2025 Pheasant Phasianus colchicus2025 Goldcrest Regulus regulus2025 Herring Gull Larus argentatus2025 Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto2025 Treecreeper Certhia familiaris2025 Jackdaw Coloeus monedula2025 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea2025 Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti2025 Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii2025 Common Gull Larus canus2025 Rook Corvus frugilegus2025 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea2025 Lesser Whitethroat Curruca curruca2025 Kingfisher Alcedo atthis2025 Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus2025 Tawny Owl Strix aluco2025 Skylark Alauda arvensis2025 Cuckoo Cuculus canorus2025 Grey Squirrel · Soprano Pipistrelle · Pipistrelle
Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Soprano Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus Green Shieldbug · Eristalis tenax · Western Conifer Seed Bug · Field Grasshopper · Marmalade Hoverfly +12
Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina2025 Eristalis tenax Eristalis tenax Western Conifer Seed Bug Leptoglossus occidentalis2025 Field Grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus2025 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus2025 Dock Bug Coreus marginatus Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas
Wildlife to spot 4,780 records · National Biodiversity Network Woodpigeon · Blue Tit · Magpie · Goldfinch · Robin +39
Woodpigeon Columba palumbus2025 Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus2025 Magpie Pica pica2025 Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis2025 Robin Erithacus rubecula2025 Blackbird Turdus merula2025 Wren Troglodytes troglodytes2025 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus2025 House Sparrow Passer domesticus2025 Great Tit Parus major2025 Whitethroat Curruca communis2025 Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita2025 Carrion Crow Corvus corone2025 Stock Dove Columba oenas2025 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major2025 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos2025 Moorhen Gallinula chloropus2025 Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla2025 Starling Sturnus vulgaris2025 Jay Garrulus glandarius2025 Kestrel Falco tinnunculus2025 Dunnock Prunella modularis2025 Song Thrush Turdus philomelos2025 Swallow Hirundo rustica2025 Green Woodpecker Picus viridis2025 Pheasant Phasianus colchicus2025 Goldcrest Regulus regulus2025 Herring Gull Larus argentatus2025 Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto2025 Treecreeper Certhia familiaris2025 Jackdaw Coloeus monedula2025 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea2025 Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti2025 Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii2025 Common Gull Larus canus2025 Rook Corvus frugilegus2025 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea2025 Lesser Whitethroat Curruca curruca2025 Kingfisher Alcedo atthis2025 Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus2025 Tawny Owl Strix aluco2025 Skylark Alauda arvensis2025 Cuckoo Cuculus canorus2025 Grey Squirrel · Soprano Pipistrelle · Pipistrelle
Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Soprano Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus Green Shieldbug · Eristalis tenax · Western Conifer Seed Bug · Field Grasshopper · Marmalade Hoverfly +12
Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina2025 Eristalis tenax Eristalis tenax Western Conifer Seed Bug Leptoglossus occidentalis2025 Field Grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus2025 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus2025 Dock Bug Coreus marginatus Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas
2025
2025
Gorse Shieldbug Piezodorus lituratus2025
Gorse Shieldbug Piezodorus lituratus2025
Volucella inanis Volucella inanis2025
Volucella inanis Volucella inanis2025
Bishop's Mitre Aelia acuminata2025
Bishop's Mitre Aelia acuminata2025
7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata2025
7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata2025
Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva2025
Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva2025
Lesser Stag Beetle Dorcus parallelipipedus2025
Lesser Stag Beetle Dorcus parallelipipedus2025
caddisflies Trichoptera2025
caddisflies Trichoptera2025
Helina reversio Helina reversio2025
Helina reversio Helina reversio2025
Yellow Meadow Ant Lasius flavus2025
Yellow Meadow Ant Lasius flavus2025
Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea2025
Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea2025
Helina lasiophthalma Helina lasiophthalma2025
Helina lasiophthalma Helina lasiophthalma2025 