To help you prepare and get excited about your upcoming stay, we've gathered some helpful information for you.

We look forward to having you stay with us and we welcome you to arrive early and enjoy the Reserve footpaths. Please do let us know if you have any questions, we look forward to meeting you soon!

The Elmley team

Enjoy slow mornings with breakfast delivered to your door, picnic lunches savoured in a special location on the Reserve and come the evening, enjoy a Cheese & Charcuterie Sharing Board or a deliciously warming Supper Hamper in the comfort of your cabin.

Breakfast doesn't need to be pre-ordered, but Picnic Lunches, Cheese & Charcuterie Boards, and Supper Hampers do - please submit your pre-orders through the links, we are a small kitchen who aim to operate with minimal waste, due to this we kindly ask for at least 24 hours' notice for pre-orders.

Weekend Evening Dining - please use this link to pre-order

Friday Evening and Late night Sunday Arrivals - Cheese or/and Charcuterie board

Saturday & Sunday Evening - Two-course Supper Hamper

Your order will be delivered anytime between 6pm & 7pm in an insulated hamper for you to serve and enjoy in your accommodation

By Train

If you are getting the train, we would advise arriving at Sittingbourne Train Station, as there is a taxi rank directly outside. Elmley is located around 10-15mins from here. Should you require a taxi we do recommend pre-booking, try Let's Go Green Cabs on 01795 444444.

By Road

From Junction 5 on the M2, follow the A249 towards Sheerness. The reserve is signposted from the exit for Iwade and Ridham Dock, which is immediately before the main Sheppey bridge. At the roundabout, take the second exit onto the old road bridge. On the Isle of Sheppey, after a minute or two, take the first right, following the brown Elmley Reserve sign. Take the second left with the Elmley sign. There is a 2 mile (3km) access road to the car park at Kingshill Farm.

Sat-nav/google maps note: If you are using sat-nav our postcode is ME12 3RW but please note that some sat-navs go a little awry. Please make sure you go over the lower bridge and note that the road to us does look like you're going to the middle of nowhere!

If ME13 3RW is taking you somewhere else, please use ME13 3RN or What3Words; ///trips.mount.whirlwind instead!

Before you travel we recommend checking The National Highways website and Twitter for travel updates relating to the M2 junction 5/A249 currently taking place. Diversions and roadworks may be in place but please allow a little extra travel time.

If you are planning to arrive with us after 7pm, then do let us know and we will send out a thorough self-check in email for you to locate your accommodation and keys.

If you have any questions about your accommodation, you might find our Information Packs useful. Click here for detailed information or ask a member of our friendly team who will be more than happy to help.

You can view the local weather here. The first weekend of November brings a wet start to the month, but is looking to brighten up on Saturday afternoon and Sunday. We'd recommend a Friday evening cosied up in your hut with hot chocolate and marshmallows, before venturing across the reserve on the weekend - why not pre-order a picnic lunch to enjoy in one of our sheltered bird hides. Be sure to bring wellies and waterproofs!

We would suggest wrapping up in layers during the day, especially if you're going to be exploring the Reserve, as there is little shelter from the wind while out for a walk and it can whip up across the flat reserve! Be sure to bring waterproofs and suitable walking boots, just in case... or you can just relax in your accommodation with a cup of tea (or something stronger!) and watch the beautiful wildlife from your window or from your outdoor seating.

Wild Swimming;

Cockleshell beach is now closed, as we hand it back over to the birds after a glorious summer! Don't worry, you can still enjoy a wild swim in our fresh water dipping pond, this can be found as you head out onto the main reserve footpath from the far-end of the carpark.

Walks and safari drive;

Our entrance track is a winding 2 miles with some of our most sensitive and active breeding grounds teeming with wildlife as well as roaming livestock. We encourage you to enjoy this at any point of your stay by using your vehicle as a moving bird hide. We politely ask you to remain within our 15mph speed limit as well as stay inside your car and not use the road as a footpath. There is no time limit here so please pull to one side.

We encourage you to enjoy the reserve and switch off during your time with us. Why not pack a flask of something hot and enjoy our marked footpaths for miles of wild landscape. Venture as far as you feel, use one of our bird hides as a check-point to sit and take nature in. You will be given a map of the reserve and we please ask you to stick to the marked footpaths to avoid disturbance to any wildlife.

The Linhay;

This is our communal area available to all guests to enjoy during their stay. Please help yourself to a drink from our honesty bar or a complimentary tea or coffee, then cosy up with a board game in front of the wood-burner, or browse our bird books. Drinks from our honesty bar will be added to a tab and settled upon check out.

Tours & Treatments;

If you haven't already, check out our range of tours and treatments to indulge and relax at Elmley. We do recommend booking in advance to avoid any disappointment. Further information and links to book are below.

This weeks sightings from the reserve are listed below so you can get a flavour of what to expect on the reserve. Binoculars are available throughout your stay if you'd like to hire a pair from us.

The local area;

If you do want to venture away from our peaceful surroundings there are some wonderful places to visit such as Faversham, a local and historic market town. Alternatively Whitstable is a picturesque seaside town with an abundance of independent shops and seafood to sample.

Elmley National Nature Reserve covers 3,300 acres brimming with wildlife. Make the most of your time here with an immersive, expert led tour. Each tour is tailored to recent sightings and will access unique areas of the reserve off of the marked footpaths.

We have plenty of availability on our upcoming tours, elevate your Elmley experience and learn something new about the vast array of species that call us home - Please contact our team to check availability or you can book online.

Should you wish to arrange a private tour please contact Simon (simon@elmleynaturereserve.co.uk) or our team directly to find out about availability and booking.

During your stay you can unwind and indulge in a range of rejuvenating treatments complimented with VERDEN and VOTARY products. From healing massages to nourishing facials, our treatments are rooted in natural fragrance to reconnect you with happiness in every moment of self-care.

You can book here with our experienced Holistic therapists - Victoria and Sarah.

Highlight this week:

BRAMBLING & FIELDFARE Bramblings are finches, and Fieldfare are a species of thrush. These are both from Scandinavia, Finland, and Russia, and they fly across the North Sea to winter here in the UK. This week we have seen both, on occasions, along the tree-line to the Old School.

LAPLAND BUNTING Fresh in from Lapland ahead of Santa! We had one seen by the hides this week. Lapland Buntings are not a regular bird to see in the southeast, so we were lucky to see it. There is a chance that it could be still on the Reserve.

RICHARD’S PIPIT Named after a friend of a famous French ornithologist. This species is breeds in southern Siberia, Mongolia, and in most of China. It migrates south to winter in the India & South-east Asia, with records as far south as Sri Lanka and Singapore. Incredibly this species can turn up annually in small numbers in Britain, as their migration route takes many of them through France and Spain. Sheppey is one of the parts of the country where they tend to be seen more regularly than other areas. I have seen it twice this week down by the hides.

BITTERNS Have been hard to find this month, but they are still around.

Songbirds

Stonechat – several Stonechats are busy feeding across the Reserve, having arrived here from northern England and Scotland.
Grey Wagtail – this cousin of the Yellow and Pied Wagtails is quite a rare bird for us at Elmley, but is widespread across the UK, favouring fast flowing rivers and streams. In the autumn, continental Grey Wagtails arrive here for the winter and can turn up in random places, like you garden. Look out for him/her around the car park and Swale.
Goldcrests – several of these can be seen during a walk down to the Old School. I recommend people use the Merlin App to locate them, as they have a very high pitch call that can be hard for many people to hear.

Owls

The Owls continue to be tricky. We have heard Little Owls on most tours, and seen a Barn Owl on 1 tour, and the Long-eared Owl on another tour.

Our wildlife tours are a lovely way to experience the Reserve during your stay - why not join one of our tours with our lead guides!