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

Thank you!

We did it! We needed £115,104 to replace our old, narrow boardwalk with an accessible boardwalk and bridge that will allow people with limited mobility, including wheelchair and pushchair users, to access the whole reserve.

With your help, we’ve raised £120,000 in just six months! Thank you to everyone who’s donated, bought a board, took part in a raffle, become a member, sampled our cream teas, or simply spread the word! We couldn’t have done it without you.

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.

In 2024/2025, generous support from Mend the Gap gave us the chance to replace the first section. You can find out more about the difference it has made here. Work is now underway to complete the vision and we hope to show off “Withymead without barriers” in Spring 2027.

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. Located at the bottom tip of south Oxfordshire in the Chilterns National Landscape, on the bridle way between Goring-on-Thames and South Stoke, 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. Managed by the Anne Carpmael Trust CIO, 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 April 2027

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 replacing 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.

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 2027 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

Two colleagues work together to install a bat box. One is at the top of a metal ladder, the other stands on the ground keeping the tension on the rope that is holding the bat hibernacula. It's awkward, tricky work as they position the hibernacula in place.

20th March 2026

News update | Bat Hibernacula installation at Withymead

Andy Cruse shares how the completion of a project to install a network of insulated colony bat boxes at Withymead will help to provide suitable habitation for Noctule bats that are under increasing threat following extensive tree felling across the region due to Ash Dieback.

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 delicious looking chocolate orange bundt cake sits on a glass cake stand, with a gold cake slice at the ready. The cake is covered with chocolate ganache icing, and white, dark and milk chocolate stars adorn the top.

30th August 2026

Events | 30 August 2pm – 5pm Cream Tea Sunday

It’s our last Cream Tea Sunday of the year! Make the most of the bank holiday weekend and treat yourself to a cake or cream tea, and a stroll around our beautiful reserve. Teas served from the Study Centre 2pm – 5pm, reserve open 10am – 5pm.