WWT Martin Mere
WWT Martin Mere is one of the most significant wetland nature reserves in the United Kingdom, operated by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, the conservation organisation founded by the naturalist Sir Peter Scott in 1946. Situated in the Lancashire plain south of Southport, this 150-acre reserve forms part of the broader Martin Mere wetland system and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, making it one of the most popular wildlife attractions in the north of England. It holds particular importance for wildfowl conservation and public engagement with wetland habitats, combining serious ecological work with accessible, family-friendly experiences. The site is home to one of the largest collections of wildfowl in Europe and serves simultaneously as a working conservation centre and a refuge for wild migratory birds.
The history of the site is deeply rooted in the landscape of the Lancashire mosses. Martin Mere was historically one of the largest natural lakes in England, stretching across thousands of acres of the West Lancashire plain. The mere was progressively drained through drainage schemes from the seventeenth century onwards, most significantly in the late eighteenth century, transforming it into agricultural land. By the time the WWT established the reserve here in 1976, the area had long since lost its vast open water, but the underlying character of the land — flat, peaty, and prone to winter flooding — made it ideal for restoration. The Trust worked to re-flood parts of the site and manage the hydrology to recreate conditions attractive to migratory and wintering wildfowl. The reserve quickly gained a reputation as one of the finest places in Britain to witness winter spectacles of geese and swans.
What makes Martin Mere especially extraordinary is the annual arrival of pink-footed geese in autumn and winter, with tens of thousands descending on the site and the surrounding agricultural fields, creating some of the most dramatic wildlife spectacles in the country. Whooper swans from Iceland also gather here in large numbers, and visiting on a clear winter morning when hundreds of swans are feeding or coming in to roost is an experience of genuine power. The reserve also supports breeding populations of lapwing, reed bunting, little egret, and various duck species throughout the year. Conservation work on site extends to captive breeding programmes for threatened species including some that have been reintroduced to the wild.
Physically, Martin Mere feels like a landscape stripped back to fundamentals — wide skies, flat ground, water, and birds. The reserve is built around a series of pools, lagoons, hides, and managed reedbeds, all carefully designed to bring wildlife within close and comfortable viewing distance. There are multiple heated hides overlooking key areas, some of which allow visitors to sit within metres of wild swans and geese that have become accustomed to the presence of people. In winter, the air is frequently alive with the bugling calls of whooper swans and the bark of pink-footed geese coming in to roost, sounds that carry across the flat land with unusual clarity. In summer the atmosphere shifts — quieter, greener, punctuated by the calls of warblers from the reeds and the splash of ducks on open water.
The reserve also features a large collection of captive wildfowl displayed in more parklike enclosures, allowing close views of species from around the world. This element of the site, common to all WWT centres, means that even on a quiet day for wild birds, there is always something to observe. There are flamingo pools, enclosures housing Hawaiian geese (nene), and other globally endangered species, reflecting the WWT's international conservation commitments. Families with children find this part of the reserve particularly engaging, and the centre is well equipped with play areas, a café, and indoor interpretation spaces that make it a comfortable all-day destination regardless of weather.
The surrounding landscape is the flatlands of the West Lancashire coastal plain, an area of reclaimed agricultural land, drainage ditches, and former mossland stretching between Preston, Southport, and Ormskirk. The town of Burscough is the closest settlement, and the market town of Ormskirk is a short distance to the southeast. The area is quintessentially quiet and rural, with none of the drama of upland scenery but with a particular atmospheric quality on misty winter mornings when the geese are moving over pale flooded fields. The nearby Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes through the area, and the coastline at Southport is only a few miles to the west. The wider Lancashire mosses support several other nature reserves of interest to naturalists.
Visiting is straightforward and well managed. The reserve is signposted from the A59 between Rufford and Burscough, and there is ample free car parking on site. The WWT operates a membership scheme that provides free entry to Martin Mere and all other WWT centres across the country, and non-members pay a standard admission charge. The site is open year-round, though winter — particularly from October through February — is far and away the best time to visit for the spectacle of wild migratory birds. Facilities are good, with accessible paths throughout much of the reserve and wheelchair-accessible hides, making it one of the more inclusive nature reserves in the region. Dogs are not admitted to the main reserve, which is worth noting for those travelling with pets.
One fascinating and often overlooked aspect of Martin Mere's history is its legendary association with the sword Excalibur. Some traditions hold that Martin Mere, as one of Lancashire's great ancient meres, was the lake into which the dying King Arthur's sword was cast, with the Lady of the Lake receiving it from the water. While this claim is shared by several bodies of water across Britain, it reflects the genuine antiquity and mystery that surrounded these great flat inland lakes before drainage transformed the landscape. The drained mere's ghost is still present in the place names, field patterns, and hydrology of the whole area, and the WWT's work in re-flooding parts of it gives the site a quality of landscape restoration that has resonances well beyond ecology.