7 wonderfully wild winter walks

Nestled next to Poole Harbour in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Arne is one of the best places to see wildlife in the whole of the UK. With five different trails to choose from, meandering through a mosaic of different habitats, you’ll be spoilt for choice, whether you fancy a short half-mile stroll or a longer walk. 

The Coombe Heath Trail winds through heathland and woodland, offering sweeping views of the Middlebere Channel, Corfe Castle, and the Purbeck Hills in the distance. Keep your eyes peeled for Coal Tits flitting through the trees and Dartford Warblers perched on Gorse-stem lookouts.  

Down at the shoreline you could spot Spoonbills feeding out on the saltmarsh, while over in the reedbed you might be lucky enough to glimpse the azure flash of a Kingfisher darting past. Listen out for its tell-tale piping call.  

Once you’ve worked up an appetite, why not treat yourself to a slice of cake or a warming cuppa in the café?

Bempton Cliffs might be most famous for its summertime seabird city, but its towering white chalk cliffs are impressive at any time of year and make the perfect backdrop for a bracing winter’s walk. In fact, Bempton sits on the King Charles III England Coast Path, a 2,700-mile walking trail that will run along the entire English coastline. Once complete it will be the longest managed coastal path in the world!   
 
Take a stroll along the clifftop trails to blow away the cobwebs and on a clear day you’ll be able to enjoy stunning views of the North Sea, Filey Bay and Staple Newk, a magnificent sea arch. There are viewpoints and benches dotted along the cliff edge, where you can pause to admire the surroundings and listen to the waves crashing far below. Watch carefully and you might spot pods of dolphins leaping out of the water as they hunt in front of the cliffs. Porpoises often visit the area as well.

As spectacular as they are, it’s not all about the cliffs at Bempton. Remember to look inland across the grassland too, where finches and buntings flock and Barn Owls and Short-eared Owls fly low in search of prey. Keep an eye out for Merlins dashing over the fields in hot pursuit of Corn Buntings and Peregrines chasing pigeons in spectacular high-speed stoops over the cliffs.
 
With a café and shop at the nature reserve, you can even indulge in a tasty treat or a spot of retail therapy before you head home.

This beautiful nature reserve offers a wonderful mix of woodland, wetlands and grasslands to explore on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond’s south-eastern shore. A short amble along the Viewpoint Trail will bring you to the perfect spot to capture some fantastic photos of majestic Ben Lomond and the surrounding hills, so don’t forget your camera!  
 
If you’d like a longer hike, follow the Lomond Trail down to the Shore Wood. This route takes in the best of the habitats on site, including wildflower meadow, fen and ancient oak woodlands, before you reach the loch shore.  As you wander, remember to look up – from late winter into spring Red Squirrels perform spectacular high-speed chases through the treetops and spiral up and down tree trunks, as females are pursued by ardent suitors. These bushy-tailed bundles of energy are much easier to spot when the trees are bare.  
 
Thousands of geese flock to the loch each winter and if you take a walk along the Shore Wood Trail as the sun rises over Conic Hill and Ben Lomond beyond, you can watch as the geese take off from their nighttime roosts en masse. It’s definitely worth the early start!

Winter is a particularly magical season to visit Mersehead. At this time of year, the reserve is home to vast flocks of noisy Barnacle Geese that have flown all the way from Svalbard to feast on the merse (the Scottish word for saltmarsh). Thousands of ducks and waders descend in winter too – follow the Wetland Trail to watch them feeding and resting out on the wetland pools.
 
Come dusk, you might even be treated to Starlings performing a spectacular aerial ballet before they snuggle down into the reedbed for the night. Peregrines often dive bomb these flocks, hoping to snatch a snack – it’s an amazing sight!  
 
A visit to Mersehead isn’t complete without a trip to the beach. Head along the 2.5-mile Coastal Trail and you’ll reach a wonderful expanse of sand, with views across the Solway Firth to the Lakeland fells beyond. It’s a lovely place to sit and watch as the setting sun bathes the hills in a beautiful golden glow.

With the mountains of southern Eryri (Snowdonia) to the north, the Cambrian mountains to the south and the Dyfi Estuary to the west, Ynys-hir is picture-perfect in any season. But winter is a particularly exciting time to visit, as hundreds of geese, ducks and wading birds flock to the reserve to feast out on the wetlands. 
 
The 800-hectare site is a patchwork of oak woodland, saltmarsh, wet grasslands, freshwater pools, reedbeds and peat bog, criss-crossed by four walking trails, so whichever way you wander you’ll be in for a treat.

Don’t forget to pop into the wildlife viewing hides – there are five to choose from, each offering a different vantage point across the reserve. Keep an eye out for Hen Harriers and Peregrines hunting over the saltmarsh.

As you wander along meandering paths through grassland, reedbed and saltmarsh, you’ll find it hard to believe that this haven for wildlife was once a heap of waste material dug out when the A55 road tunnel was built. Now utterly transformed, Conwy attracts hundreds of wildfowl and wading birds on the lagoons between August and March.  
 
A circular trail takes you through a reedbed – where you might hear the high-pitched squeals of secretive Water Rails – and on to the edge of the estuary, overlooking mudflats and saltmarsh, with the beautiful snow-capped Carneddau Mountains and Eryri beyond. It’s the perfect spot to sit and take in the view, accompanied by a soundtrack of calling Curlews and whistling Wigeons.

If you time your visit for late afternoon, you might even experience one of nature’s most magnificent winter spectacles – a starling murmuration. At dusk, starlings congregate in huge flocks, swooping and swirling in unison, before cascading down into their reedbed roost like a waterfall. Starling flocks are notoriously fickle, so it’s not guaranteed, but if you get lucky it’s an awe-inspiring sight.

Portmore Lough is the perfect place to visit if you want to stretch your legs in nature, but don’t fancy a strenuous hike. A short, easy stroll along the marked trail will lead you to the wildlife hide, which offers far-reaching views out across the lough.  
 
You’re likely to spot groups of ducks bobbing about on the water, and at dusk the sight of Whooper Swans and Greylag Geese coming into roost is unforgettable. Huge flocks of Lapwings and Golden Plovers also visit the reserve in late winter, putting on a spectacular show as they twist and whirl over the flooded meadows.  
 
If all that wildlife has whetted your appetite and you’re keen to explore further, why not pop along to nearby Montiaghs Moss? It’s just five-minutes away by car. Here, the paths and boardwalk weave around sparkling pools left behind by historic peat extraction. It’s a wonderfully tranquil place to explore.