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Marston Vale Country Park

Bedfordshire  >  United Kingdom

The country park is based on old clay workings. There's an inner area set aside as a nature reserve.

Added* by Axel Kirby
Most recent update 19 april 2023

Description

The nature reserve in Marston Vale Country Park is still maturing. Reedbeds and woodlands have been established. There's a central lake, grassland and scrapes. There's several well built hides and a couple of feeding stations. A sand wall has been built for breguljka.

Details

Access

There are bus stops and railway stations (Millbrook and Stewartby, on the Bedford to Bletchley line) adjacent to the country park, but there's a long walk to get to the park's centre building. The Country Park is sign-posted from the road and there's a good sized carpark (fee payable).

Within the reserve, paths are paved and level. One hide, the Tower Hide, is elevated, but there's a long ramp to it with a shallow gradient. Wheelchairs should have no trouble. Access to the reserve, within the Country Park, is subject to its own fee, payable in the Centre.

Terrain and Habitat

Forest , Wetland , Plain , Lake , Scattered trees and bushes , Grassland , Reedbeds

Conditions

Flat , Wet , Open landscape

Circular trail

Yes

Is a telescope useful?

Can be useful

Good birding season

All year round

Best time to visit

Winter , Spring

Route

Wide path

Difficulty walking trail

Easy

Accessible by

Foot , Bicycle , Wheelchair

Birdwatching hide / platform

Yes

Extra info

At the time of writing, the wider Country Park and the nearby Stewartby Lake have not been assessed. The Centre has shop, toilets and a large cafe. There are outdoor seating areas next to a small reedbed. The Country Park is part of a wider area of reclaimed quarries, with walking routes that extend beyond the park's boundaries.

Links

View other birding spots in the area that are published on Birdingplaces

Map

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