NORTHUMBERLAND WILDLIFE TRUST
[Northern England]
Nearest Town: Low Hauxley
OS Map: NU285023 (OS 50 000 Sheet 81)
The reserve is part of the former Radcliffe open cast coal working, which was landscaped to produce a lake with islands. There is a wheelchair accessible reception hide and toilets in the hide.
Location and access: The site is near Low Hauxley village, at the northern end of Druridge Bay. Follow the track which leaves the minor road between Low and High Hauxley, which provides shared access with Mountgate Caravans. The reception hide is open daily from 10am-5pm (summer) or 10am-3pm (winter) daily. Visitors are requested to stay on the paths and in the hides. Please do not climb onto the mounds as this will disturb the birds. There is no access between hides 2 and 4 at the south end of the reserve.
The reserve is part of the former Radcliffe open cast coal working, which was landscaped to produce a lake with islands. It was bought by the Trust in 1983 to be developed as a reserve. Tree and shrub planting has been carried out around the reserve boundary and near the hides. The body of water, islands, reedbeds and trees attract large numbers of birds, including waders and many migrants. Birds include Bewick swan, shoveler, lapwing, and purple sandpiper. Small ponds created around the car park are suitable for pond dipping. There is a diverse flora, including yellow wort, ragged robin, kidney vetch and bloody cranesbill, and the site is particularly attractive in summer. An interesting and spectacular introduced plant is the cut-leaved teasel. The site is also home to a variety of invertebrates, including butterflies, dragonflies and also amphibians such as great crested newt. The remains of a burial cist found nearby may be seen near the car park. More recent work has found more burial cists in the area. www.archaeologicalresearchservices.com/projects/lowhauxley.html