NORTHUMBERLAND WILDLIFE TRUST
Nearest Town: Holburn village, between Lowick and Belford
OS Map: NU050365 (OS 50 000 Sheet 75)
This 130ha SPA, SSSI and Ramsar site is a peat bog with an artificial lake supporting greylag geese.
Location and access: Car parking is available in Holburn village. The track east of Holborn village alongside the farm leads up to the reserve. The lake is situated at the top of the hill as you look at the site. The terrain is rough and stout footwear is recommended. Please keep to obvious tracks to avoid damage to vegetation.
Holburn Moss itself is a peat bog, supporting a variety of bog mosses together with other bog plants including heather, cotton grass, cranberry and round-leaved sundew. It was recently damaged by fire but is now recovering. It has also previously been damaged by forestry ploughing. The artificial lake was created in 1934 and is now of ornithological interest due to the Icelandic population of greylag geese, for which the lake is of international importance as a winter roosting site. Other birds such as wigeon and teal also roost, and a few pairs of shelduck, shoveler and tufted duck regularly breed. In addition, snipe, lapwing, oystercatcher and red grouse can be seen.