Great Escapes
Elmley Nature Reserve

Elmley Nature Reserve

Kent, United Kingdom

  • Rural
  • Nature
  • Wildlife
  • Wellness
  • Hiking
££pp / nightVisit website

The only National Nature Reserve in England where you can spend the night

Elmley is the only National Nature Reserve in England you're allowed to spend the night in, and the Fulton family. Accommodation ranges from an 18th-century farmhouse and a five-bedroom cottage to custom-built shepherd's huts spaced at least 50 metres apart across the marsh, each with a wood burner, an en-suite bathroom and a picture window angled for watching owls hunt at dusk from the comfort of your bed. Cattle and sheep still graze the salt marsh alongside the birdlife, since Elmley has always run as a working farm as much as a reserve.

The reserve holds one of the largest concentrations of breeding waders and wintering birds of prey in England, including marsh harriers, hen harriers, peregrines and merlins, alongside hares, water voles and grass snakes. Meals arrive as hampers for a picnic for a day out walking the reserve's hides, or as a two-course hot supper delivered to the hut door in winter.

Sustainability

Climate & conservation

  • Ecosystem preservation / wildlife protection, The 3,300-acre reserve is a designated National Nature Reserve, providing a critical habitat that supports over forty breeding bird species.
  • Winter refuge for tens of thousands of migrating Lapwing and Golden Plover
  • Over 40 years of family-led nature restoration across the estate
  • Dedicated project to restore the breeding population of curlews
  • Reforestation or restoration, Intensive habitat management includes controlling water levels across nine square kilometres and digging rills and scrapes to create feeding areas for waders.
  • Menus designed around ingredients from local producers in Kent

Community & culture

  • Running and raising funds for the Elmley Curlew Project
  • Community conservation, A team of voluntary surveyors helps monitor wildlife by counting wetland birds and wader chicks throughout the year.
  • Conservation grazing with 900 cows and 1,000 Romney sheep
  • Nature photography workshops with local photographer Robert Canis
  • Funds education, The reserve's team contributes to national conservation policy and offers technical land management tours, sharing its expertise.
  • Restoring the rich historical heritage of the Elmley estate

Commercial

  • The only family-owned and managed National Nature Reserve in the UK
  • All profits fund the long-term conservation of the 3,300-acre reserve
  • Partnering with local farmers for grazing and Kent producers for food

In brief

Price bracket
££
Type of property
Lodge
No. of rooms
10 rooms, 3 cottages, 2 shepherds huts
Max guests per room
Cabins sleep up to a small family of four; huts accommodate couples or young families.
Facilities
Wifi, Garden, Fireplace, Parking
Activities
Hiking, Birdwatching, Meditation, Nature walks
Setting
Rural · Nature reserve · Wetlands

Best time to visit

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec

Best for birdwatching in autumn and winter, when tens of thousands of migratory birds arrive.

Kids

Families are welcome, with cabins and huts designed to accommodate children.

Accessibility

The reserve's natural, unpaved terrain may present challenges for guests with mobility issues.

Kent, United Kingdom

££pp / night Visit website

Guide price · £ <£100 · ££ £100–300 · £££ £300–800 · ££££ £800+ pp / night