Withymead Nature Reserve - a special place for nature

Withymead is a tranquil oasis of riverside wilderness, where remarkably varied habitats support a rich profusion of flora and fauna.

It is renowned for its birds, woodland, fenland reeds, mammals, reptiles, insects and its signature flower, the Loddon Lily, which carpets the wetland in spring.

Our flora & fauna

Conserving the remnants of a lost landscape

Before the growth of agriculture, settlement and industry, much of the Thames riverside would have looked like Withymead today. Wet woodland, reed fen and water meadows typified the floodplains of the meandering river.

The aims of the Trust are to enhance the reserve for wildlife and keep it safe and accessible for visitors to enjoy these exceptional habitats.

The reserve

Discover Withymead’s hidden boat-building past

Once a scene of industry in the late 1800s/early 1900s, the area of Withymead was once a thriving boatyard, employing a local workforce of over 30 people.

See the remnants of Sam Saunders’ Springfield Works boatyard from the slipway with its rails and shed foundations, to the winch and blacksmith’s forge, now a winter maternity roost for bats.

Our History

A beautiful place to learn about nature

Our renovated orchard and copse provide a dedicated outdoor space for local schools to use for Forest School teaching. The Withymead Study Centre offers facilities for talks, special interest groups, nature studies and surveys.

A place for life-long learning, contact us to find out how you can visit this special site by the Thames.

Our Facilities

Withymead Nature Reserve -
a special place for nature

Walk the Boards fundraising campaign

Help us to help everyone step into nature

Picture an accessible boardwalk winding through our reedbeds, a solid step-free bridge over a river inlet, and a nature reserve where everyone, regardless of age or ability, can enjoy the outdoors. At Withymead Nature Reserve, this vision is just within reach, but we need your help.

Our boardwalks are an important part of the reserve. They allow our visitors to explore the unique plants and wildlife that call Withymead home. A place where Thames-side boat building once thrived, it is a place for joyful exploration and a sanctuary for all who seek solace in nature.

Yet the last section of our old, narrow boardwalk and bridge makes it difficult for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs, and those with limited mobility to access the whole reserve. It’s also reached the end of its life. By replacing and improving this vital pathway, we can ensure that every visitor experiences the freedom and joy of being outdoors, without barriers.

We need to raise £115,104 to make it happen. Can you help?

Find out more

Enjoy your local nature reserve

Withymead is special: an oasis of riverside wildness; a haven for plants and wildlife; a place where Thames-side boat building once thrived. The 13-acre reserve was established by Anne Carpmael, a keen naturalist who lived at Withymead for nearly 60 years. Anne bequeathed the site as a special place for the community, and to inspire an appreciation of nature especially among young people. It opened in 2004.

Discover Withymead

Help conserve our natural heritage

Withymead is a gem. Which we want to share with you.

We have a volunteer team who help with conservation and events, and new volunteers with general or specialist skills are always welcome.

What unites everyone who visits Withymead is their deep and profound connection with this special place by the Thames.

Volunteer with us

We are now closed until early April 2026

Thank you to everyone who visited us during the summer months. We have loved welcoming you! We are now closed for the winter season. Work on the reserve and behind the scenes never stops. Excitingly we are now focusing our efforts on fundraising to replace the old, worn out footbridge and remaining 60 metres of boardwalk with a new step-free footbridge and accessible boardwalk. Plus our regular on-site conservation tasks continue. Find out more here

Visits can still be made out of season, by appointment only and subject to the availability of our wardens, and volunteers are always welcome. Head over to the contact us page. We open again April/Easter 2026 for spring and summer open days, afternoons and special events, plus exclusive bookable visits.

Entrance to Withymead is free unless it is for commercial hire. Please consider donating to support our conservation work.

Find out more

Spotlights and updates

14th November 2025

News update | Love Withymead? We are looking for a new trustee

We’re looking for someone who will ‘roll their sleeves up and get stuck in’. This is an exciting opportunity to get involved in a decision making and advisory role for our small, local charity that seeks to protect, promote and preserve the flora and fauna found in and around Withymead and Goring-on-Thames, share the reserve’s history as a Victorian boat-building yard, and to utilise the reserve for the general education and benefit of the public with regard to nature.

We are a friendly group and we work as a team with our resident wardens, who are also volunteers.

30th March 2025

Spotlight | Bring on the Blue Banded Demoiselle

The blue banded demoiselle, or Calopteryx splendens, is a captivating damselfly that graces the banks of slow-flowing streams and rivers across Eurasia. With its striking appearance and fascinating behaviours, this damselfly is one of the first to emerge and can often be seen in April and May.

A large cream with buttercream icing stands on a glass cake stand in the foreground, with a ginger loaf cake and an apricot and pistachio cake just behind in the background. They are ready to be sliced and enjoyed!

24th January 2026

Events | 24 Jan 10am – 12.30pm ‘Withymead on Tour’ Saturday Morning Community Coffee Shop, Woodcote

We’re going on tour! Help us meet our fundraising target of £115k to complete our accessible boardwalk and install a new step-free bridge by joining us at the Woodcote Community Coffee Shop 10am-12.30pm, on Saturday 24 Jan.

We’ll have our delicious signature cakes and bakes, tea and coffee for sale, plus second-hand books, merchandise, and a really great raffle too.

Help us to help everyone step into nature

We need to raise £115,104 to make it happen. Can you help?

Spotlights and updates

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