RSPB Rye Meads — Attraction in East Hertfordshire

A great family fun day out for free (or I should better say for a donation the amount of which you feel is appropriate). Went there on Sunday just gone (27-07-2025). The facilities on site are clean, noteworthy is that there is a baby changing station right at the entrance (which is where the only toilets are located anyway). We were pleased to see that there were binoculars for hire. Our favorite hide was the Kingfisher - it is clear it's the newest, has a lovely wooden carving of a kingfisher to the front (a photo op spot for sure) and is very easily accessible via a sturdy ramp. Having said that, all the hides we visited were accessible via a ramp. Speaking about accessibility, the car parking situation was a bit of a nuisance - as there was a night heron sighted the parking was full (despite the £5.00 fee required to park at RSPB Rye Meads) so we had to park a bit further away (at the Rye House Car Park) and walk to RSPB Rye Meads. On the plus side, at least the Rye House Car Park was free of charge. The paths inside RSPB Rye Meads are wheelchair and buggy friendly, however, all paths are all some sort of gravel, so if you are precious about your pushchair, you better not go. We, however, felt all paths were very reasonably maintained for a nature reserve and completely walkable with the pram / stroller. The members of staff / volunteers we met and spoke to on the day were all lovely (and they even assisted us in locating a lost item, which was highly appreciated). Overall, this was a great place to visit and definitely worthy of being on your Hertfordshire...

A truly excellent Nature Reserve with very knowledgeable and friendly staff. I went last Saturday (06/07/2019) and I saw Mr & Mrs Kingfisher, a family of Stoats (one of them being no more than a couple of meters from me!), quite a few Reed Warblers, Mr & Mrs Kestrel, a Grey Heron, and I heard another Bird of Prey which I didn't saw but it didn't sounded like a Kestrel nor a Red Kite. So I had a really excellent day there! Note that at the weekend, make sure to be there early if you want a space in the Kingfisher hide which is very popular. The whole reserve is quite leveled and accessible by Wheelchair though better to be push in it than roll yourself as it might be a struggle on the graveled part. The reserve also have a Mobility Scooter to rent (free of charge, not even a deposit!). A big plus is that Dogs are not allowed in the Reserve! :-)

Cons: The Nature Reserve only open at 09:00 am (til 17:30) which IMHO is rather late. I would personally much prefer if it was open from 08:00 am or even 24/7 like a few other reserves I've been to (including Bempton Cliff, Fowlmere, Strumpshaw Fen, Titchwell, Minsmere, etc.), even if the Visitor...

Rye Meads was quite enjoyable as a walk and to look around. A lot of waterfowl on the lake but at the time of our visit there wasn’t much else to see. Apparently the Kingfishers haven’t nested for a few years since a large number of predation has chased them away. There is a longer trail but once you go through the gate you can’t turn around and have to go all the way around back to the entrance way. One of the hides has a long ramp up to it which looked out over fields and again we found nothing to see but I guess that’s luck of the draw. Certain areas probably need a little bit of attention as there is some overgrowth and bits needing attention. Certainly if you are in the area it is a great spot to entertain children. There was lots going on for the youngsters. Information felt a little lacking inside the centre and the centre feels more like a corridor which it is really as the rest of the space is divided into classrooms. Would I personally travel an hour to visit this site again probably not unless there was something specific to see. But as I mentioned if you are in the local vicinity definitely a...