Westhay Moor National Nature Reserve (NNR) is available all year round for visitors to enjoy walking trails, bird watching, and geocaching. Located in the centre of the Avalon Marshes, the reserve is home to diverse species including otters, bitterns, great white egrets, marsh harriers, and adders.
Unfortunately, the costs of maintaining places like Westhay are increasing every year. Somerset Wildlife Trust recently shared that it costs the charity over £803,000 a year to manage their nature reserves. As a result, the Trust made the decision to start charging a very small parking fee at Westhay, which came into effect on 12th January 2024.
Visitors to Westhay will now need to pay £3 per visit when using the car park. Season tickets are also available, costing £65 for an annual pass or £40 for a 6-month pass.
Somerset Wildlife Trust is introducing this charge to allow it to continue carrying out the crucial conservation work needed at Westhay, so visitors and supporters can continue to enjoy it into the future.
The Trust has observed that since the new charge was introduced, there has been a significant reduction in vandalism and anti-social behaviour in the area, and it would like to thank all visitors to Westhay for their patience while these changes were being made.
