A walk through Wales’ National Nature Reserves this Autumn

Dotted along the length and breadth of the Wales Coast Path are several National Nature Reserves that boast some of the most incredible indigenous wildlife, flora and fauna that Wales has to offer.

National Nature Reserves (NNRs) were established to protect some of our most important habitats, species and geology, and to provide ‘outdoor laboratories’ for research.

A visit to any of these reserves is highly recommended in any season, but autumn is particularly special, bringing crisper air, golden light, and a magically evolving landscape that shifts from greens, to ambers and reds. From fiery foliage to migrating birds and late-season wildflowers, it’s a season full of fresh opportunities to explore and enjoy the beauty of our National Nature Reserves in a different light.

Protect wildlife at these special places by following the Countryside Code and leave no trace of your visit. Dog owners must heed local signs and use a short lead where prompted.

Newport Wetlands, Newport

Tucked between the city of Newport and the Severn estuary, Newport Wetlands National Nature Reserve is one of the best sites in the country for viewing bird life. The reserve is part of the Gwent Levels and is made up of a diverse range of low-lying habitats, including wet grassland, reedbeds, saltmarsh and saline lagoons.
There’s a seven-kilometre network of re-surfaced paths around the Uskmouth reedbeds that’s wheelchair accessible, alongside the visitor centre and café, viewing screens across the deepwater channels, a raised viewing platform and bird hide.

Autumn is a spectacular time for birdwatching at Newport Wetlands, as migratory wildfowl and wading birds begin to arrive. Look out for flocks of redwing and fieldfare feeding on hedgerows along the Wales Coast Path, while starling murmuration’s create breathtaking displays above the reedbeds. On the saline lagoons, you may also spot visiting wader species gathering before winter.

Oxwich Bay, Swansea

Located in the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Gower Peninsula, the Oxwich National Nature Reserve boasts a sweeping golden beach, sand dunes, cliffs, and salt and freshwater marshes.

From wild orchids and dune gentians to butterflies, birds, and bats, the reserve supports an all-year-round ecosystem for both migrating and indigenous species. In autumn, the reserve comes alive with flocks of migrating birds stopping to rest and feed, while fungi begin to carpet the woodlands and hedgerows burst with berries.

From the lakeside bird hide at Whitestones, accessed by a boardwalk over the freshwater marsh and reedbeds, visitors can spot wildfowl gathering on the water. Choose from a selection of coastal and woodland walking routes to suit your preference, with two circular walks leading through the dunes, where wild ponies graze against a backdrop of autumn colour.

Pant y Sais, Swansea 

Another wetland habitat full of reed and sedge beds, Pant y Sais National Nature Reserve is a paradise for wetland plants, birds, and insects. In autumn, the reserve takes on a quieter atmosphere as summer birdsong fades, but it remains an excellent spot for birdwatching. 

Look out for water rails and reed buntings among the reeds, while flocks of migrating birds pass overhead. The wetlands also transform with golden grasses and seed heads, and fungi begin to appear along the edges of the boardwalk. The loud song of the resident Cetti’s warbler can also be heard throughout the autumn and winter months.

The reserve’s boardwalk takes you right into the heart of the wetlands, offering a direct pathway into its unique ecosystem and a glimpse of the fen raft spider’s habitat along the Tennant Canal. From here, you can join the Wales Coast Path at the edge of the reserve and continue your walk along the Swansea Bay coastline.

Stackpole Estate, Pembrokeshire

Located in South Pembrokeshire, the Stackpole Estate National Nature Reserve is abundant in coastal and woodland habitats, full of quiet valleys, wildlife rich lily ponds and sandy beaches. Home to two of Pembrokeshire’s most famous bayscapes, Broadhaven and Barafundle, Stackpole is a stronghold for several species, including one of Britain’s largest populations of the rare greater horseshoe bat.

The woodlands are home to the rare silver washed fritillary butterfly, while other butterflies such as the dark green fritillary, common blue and brown argus may be spotted on the grasslands and sand dunes. As the weather turns cooler, the grassland is dotted with colourful waxcap fungi, and the spindle trees are covered in their distinctive pink fruit. 

Dyfi Ynyslas, Ceredigion

Ynyslas is part of the Dyfi National Nature Reserve, situated midway between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth in Mid Wales. The golden dunes of Ynyslas, the largest in Ceredigion, are home to a remarkable mix of orchids, mosses, liverworts, fungi, insects, and spiders - many of them rare, with some found nowhere else in Britain.

In autumn, the raised bog becomes a striking tapestry of russet reds and earthy tones. Fungi such as waxcaps, earth stars, puffballs, and bird’s nest fungi add splashes of colour to the dunes, while the estuary comes alive with migrating waders and wildfowl pausing on their seasonal journeys or arriving to overwinter.

Morfa Dyffryn, Gwynedd

The shifting sand dunes of Morfa Dyffryn National Nature Reserve are one of our most dynamic coastal sites. Constantly shaped by wind and tide, these ever-evolvin.g dune habitats, with their wide expanses of bare sand are now increasingly rare across the UK, making them one of the country’s most threatened and valuable ecosystems.

While summer brings a colourful display of wildflowers across the dune grasslands and slacks, autumn is the season when the dunes truly transform into a haven for fungi. The drier dune grasslands here are renowned for their impressive fungi ‘vistas,’ where multi-coloured waxcaps, coral and club fungi, earthtongues, parasols, and the distinctive dwarf earthstar thrive in the sandy soils.

Morfa Harlech, Gwynedd

Morfa Harlech National Nature Reserve is an impressive coastal landscape that protects rare sand dune and coastal marsh habitats. Celebrated as one of Wales’ richest natural treasures, it is home to a diverse range of plants and animals specially adapted to life on the shifting edge of the sea.

In autumn, the reserve comes into its own with displays of the delicate, purple-flowered autumn gentian scattered across the dunes. The drier dune grasslands are also renowned for their rich variety of fungi, adding colour and texture to the sandy landscape. Bare patches of sand provide vital habitat for rare mining bees, solitary wasps, and beetles, and if you’re lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of a sand lizard basking in the last warmth of the season.

Newborough National Nature Reserve and Forest, Anglesey

The dunes, coastal marshes, sandy and rocky shores of Newborough National Nature Reserve and forest have been shaped over thousands of years by the wind and the Irish Sea. This extensive coastal landscape is one of the largest and finest dune systems in the UK, supporting a wide range of rare and endangered flora and fauna, including marsh orchids, helleborines, rare mosses and liverworts, medicinal leeches, and other scarce insect species.

Accessible via a network of footpaths, with walking, running, and cycling trails winding through the forest, the reserve is particularly spectacular in autumn. Migratory wildfowl such as Brent geese, shelduck, and wigeon arrive on the saltmarsh and estuary, joined by redshanks and plovers. Pools behind the Cob embankment attract birds like pintail, teal, and lapwing, which gather here to escape the harsher winters of the Arctic, offering excellent opportunities for wildlife spotting.

For more information on this, head to the Natural Resources Wales website.