Nestled Between Blackpool And Liverpool Is A Scenic English Park With Lake Beauty, Trails, And Wildlife

England is covered with serene and beautiful natural places where one can calmly watch ducks floating on a pond, see squirrels in the trees, and walk wooded trails filled with lush underbrush and intriguing fungi. Such places are even better when one doesn't have to drive for hours to get to them. Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve is an ideal location for getting away from the noise and crowds of the city and enjoying the peaceful sounds and sights of nature. For residents of Blackpool, Liverpool, and other nearby towns, it's a quick and easy drive to get there.

This lovely nature reserve is only a one-hour drive south of Blackpool and north of Liverpool. Those flying in from elsewhere can land at Manchester Airport (MAN), which is also a one-hour drive away. Those from the coastal cities may enjoy a break from the shores and bask in the drive through countryside farms and charming towns, which will surround them until arriving at the dense woods that envelop the scenic lakes within the 106-acre reserve.

Nearly all the walking pathways are accessible for wheelchairs, and a visitor center offers vending machines and restrooms for a quick refresher. Whether you've worked up an appetite on the gorgeous lakeside trails or need an energy boost to begin your explorations, a cafe is on hand with a gift shop, where you can buy a trinket as a reminder of your time in this verdant reserve. A small parking fee grants access at all hours, and those who wish to return more often can obtain a parking pass for up to a year.

The reserve's leafy woods and placid, lily pad-laden lakes are surrounded by short, unchallenging trails. For a walk focused on lake beauty, the Mere Sands Heath Lake Circular is just over a mile in length and takes you to a portion of what was once the largest freshwater lake in the nation, Martin Mere, per AllTrails, which advises that it became a series of silica sand quarries before being transformed back into lakes as the reserve was founded. As lovely as it is, it's quite difficult to tell that it was ever anything other than a lake, and the ducks certainly haven't seemed to notice.

While the previous trail focused on the western half of the reserve, the Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve Circular trail covers the eastern half. Hikers traversing the trail can stop to admire the lakes on a wooden viewing platform, before continuing along forest trails with a bed of ferns below and the soothing the sway and shade of the tall trees above. Stopping for a moment to soak in the soft sounds of nature is sure to ebb one's cares away. This 1-mile trail includes bird hides where one can simply sit and enjoy avian entertainment.

Those who want to circumnavigate the entirety of Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve may do so on the 2-mile Mere Sands Wood Loop. Leashed dogs can accompany those strolling the trail, and the natural features transform along with the changing of the seasons. The warmer months coax the wildflowers out of hiding, per HiiKER, while the gold and rust of autumn leaves accompany various fascinating mushrooms and lichen. All of this is only an hour from Liverpool, London's vibrant rival with fewer crowds.

For such a diminutive natural escape, Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve is teeming with a wide variation of wildlife. Sharp-eyed visitors may spot rare water voles, which can also be found in a habitat near Selsey, a sunny coastal town with beaches, fresh seafood, and unique wildlife on England's south coast. The bird hides found along the trails are an unobtrusive way for birders to observe over 170 bird species within the reserve. Mallards and Great Cormorants are among the more common birds found here, yet one may have the chance to glimpse the dance of the Great Crested Grebe as it tries to lure a mate. Occasional Black-headed Gulls fly in from the coast, some of them likely from Southport, the scenic coastal town with beach beauty to the west.

The placid and glittering lakes are home not only to ducks, but to numerous kingfishers and scant bitterns. Birds aren't the only winged denizens of this reserve either, as various dragonflies and butterflies add to the beauty of the lakes and their surroundings. Thanks to the installation of a bat roost, guests will find a variety of bats flitting about at dusk and emitting their sonar chirps. Those who stay until later in the evening will be treated to a multitude of moths, with their unique wing patterns.

Visitors who take the time to quietly sit and observe for a bit may see foxes skirting through the underbrush, thankfully protected from being hunted here. A shy roe deer may make its presence known, while red squirrels scurry along the tree branches. Wherever one looks, this fantastic reserve offers an ample supply of forest and lake views, blissful scenic solitude, and a fairytale-like abundance of lively creatures.