Carlton Marshes Nature Reserve & Visitor Centre

A contemporary visitor centre building sits within the vast green landscape of marshes and wildlife habitat.

Carlton Marshes - John Lord

Carlton Marshes Visitor Centre - John Ferguson

Carlton Marshes Visitor Centre - John Ferguson

A red-footed falcon flying low over reeds

Credit Lynne Warner

Lapwing over Petos marsh

credit Gavin Durrant

Lightning trees at Carlton Marshes

Lightning trees at Carlton Marshes - Jack Cripps

Carlton Marshes Nature Reserve & Visitor Centre

1,000 acres of wilderness in the Broads National Park, with floodplain marsh and lowland fen home to some of the largest populations of wading birds in the East of England.

Location

Carlton Marshes
Burnt Hill Lane
Lowestoft
Suffolk
NR33 8HU

OS Map Reference

TM508920

View on What3Words

A static map of Carlton Marshes Nature Reserve & Visitor Centre

Know before you go

Size
405 hectares
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Entry fee

Free (charges apply for school visits)
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Parking information

£3 donation
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Bicycle parking

Yes
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Grazing animals

Cattle grazing seasonally
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Access

Our Sprat's Water and Share Marsh trails are wheelchair-friendly and our visitor centre is fully accessible, with allocated parking and a disabled toilet. Parts of the reserve are accessible by mobility scooter, and scooter hire is available.

By bus: from Lowestoft, various services stop near the end of Burnt Hill Lane on the A146.

By train: from Lowestoft, Ipswich, and Norwich, alight at Oulton Broad South, then the reserve is a 20 minute walk away.

Dogs

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A Public Space Protection Order on the reserve requires dogs to be kept on a lead at all times. This is to protect the wildlife and delicate habitats.

Why we ask dogs are kept on a lead 

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Facilities

Visitor centre
Bird hides
Toilets
Shop
Cafe/refreshments
Picnic area
Accessible toilet
Baby changing facilities
Outdoor play area
Electric car charging point
Wifi
Disabled parking
Accessible trails

When to visit

Opening times

Visitor centre (Apr-Sept) 10am - 4:30pm
Visitor centre (Oct-Mar) 10am-4pm
Nature reserve open dawn til dusk

Best time to visit

All year round

About the reserve

An astounding 28 species of dragonfly have been spotted here. Carlton Marshes is situated in the Waveney Valley at the southern tip of the Broads National Park, on the Suffolk-Norfolk boarder. It comprises a jigsaw of grazing marsh, fens, peat pools, short fen meadow, tall fen (called 'tall litter fen'), dykes, pools and scrub. Mostly man-made, these habitats have developed over hundreds of years of traditional management and now host specialised wildlife.  

The flower studded marshes drained by a system of dykes and grazed by cattle in summer creates a paradise for marshland birds and birds of prey including hobby and marsh harrier. In early summer there is a fabulous display of southern marsh orchid, marsh marigold and ragged-robin, together with the scarcer bogbean, bog pimpernel and marsh cinquefoil. Water vole may also be seen near the visitor centre and in and around the dykes, along with plants including water soldier and frogbit. These habitats are ideal for the rare fen raft spider which was successfully reintroduced to the reserve in 2012. Carlton & Oulton Marshes are also one of the best places in the UK for a range of freshwater snails which reflects the good water quality in the dykes.

Both Sprat’s and Round Water are the result of peat digging carried out long ago. The open water in both these pools is heaving with life including insectivorous bladderwort. This unusual plant lives off unsuspecting water fleas which it traps and digests in bladder-like sacs under water.

The reserve is also one of the best sites in East Anglia to see grasshopper warblers. The reed and sedge beds along the river wall make ideal nesting cover for reed and sedge warblers, bearded tit, Cetti’s warbler and marsh harrier. The grazing marshes are also ideal for wintering wildfowl and breeding waders with lapwing and redshank displaying through the spring and large numbers of wigeon, teal and snipe in winter.

The shop at Carlton Marshes.

Carlton Marshes visitore centre shop - Jack Cripps

Cafe & shop

Enjoy hot drinks, fresh lunches and baked treats in our welcoming cafe, with beautiful views over the marshes. In our shop we have a wide range of wildlife-themed gifts, accessories and books; plus we stock a selection of Viking binoculars, with a stand to try-before-you-buy.

Every penny you spend in our cafe and shop supports our work for Suffolk's wildlife and wild landscapes.

Cafe menu
Centre staff and volunteers tour of Carlton

Centre staff and volunteers tour of Carlton

Group visits

We welcome groups of all sizes at Carlton Marshes and can provide guided walks, introductory walks and refreshments.

If you are looking to arrange a group or school visit, please email us and we will help you get the most from your visit:

carlton.centre@suffolkwildlifetrust.org
Discovery Room at Carlton Marshes visitor centre

Discovery Room at Carlton Marshes visitor centre - Peter Cook

Venue hire

Our Discovery Room in the visitor centre is available to hire for events, meetings, away-days and exhibitons. The space can accomodate up to 50 people and has easy access to our café plus is equipped with tables, chairs, WiFi, screen, and projector.

To find out more and to book, please email us:

carlton.centre@suffolkwildlifetrust.org
Petos Marsh aerial drone footage

credit John Lord

5k running route

We welcome runners to enjoy any of our reseve trails. You can also join the popular Angles Way heritage trail from the visitor centre.

If you are up for a challenge, our volunteers have created a circular 5k loop in Garmin Connect:

View the 5k route

Upcoming events

Explore Carlton Marshes from the air