June on the Reserve is a very special time, with the longer warmer days, and the beauty of new life all throughout the Reserve.
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
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 & Google Maps is particularly odd at the moment…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 and sat nav sometimes recognises it as a footpath.
If ME13 3RW is taking you somewhere strange 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.
However you plan to get to us, let us know if this will be past 6pm 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.
We also have a range of self help guides you may find useful for your arrival and tips throughout your stay.
You can view the local weather here. The week ahead is looking lovely, lots of sunshine and hot days, with some possible rain midweek.
We would suggest bringing sun cream and hats for during the day, especially if you're going to be exploring the Reserve (and waterproof clothing/shoes...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/outdoor seating.
We can look after you for each meal, allowing you to make the most of your time here. Discover more about our food & drink.
Enjoy slow mornings with breakfast delivered to you, picnic lunches savoured in a special location on the Reserve and come the evening, enjoy our summer woodfired pizza under the festoon lit courtyard - take-away to your accommodation or dine alfresco in your favourite spot.
As a small, minimum waste kitchen we do ask for pre-booking for picnic lunches please:
Picnic Lunch booking
Breakfast can be ordered on the morning, please check the menu sheet in your accommodation for details.
For our woodfired pizza of an evening, please do come over to our pizza shack to place your order.
If you do plan to self cater please do double check facilities in your accommodation so you can plan.
Wild Swimming;
Cockleshell beach is not yet open to guests due to late breeding oystercatchers, but you can enjoy our fresh water dipping pond for a wild swim, this can be found as you head out onto the main reserve footpath.
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 fr 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 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 as well as a board game in front of the wood burner. 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.
Please contact our team to check availability or you can book online.
Should you wish to arrange a private tour please contact Simon 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:
Hobby
- A Hobby has been gracing the treeline on our dusk tours this week. These handsome falcons mostly feed on dragonflies and are showing up recently to take advantage of any naïve fledgling Swallows.
Purple Hairstreaks (Butterflies)
- One of the most difficult butterflies to see, because they spend all their time in the top of Oak trees. They lay their eggs in between the buds, and feed on the honeydew from the Oak’s aphids. The males do a ‘mating-dance’ or lek in the evenings, and sometimes land low down allowing views, and we have been watching these on our dusk tours. They are about the size of 50p coin, and beautiful Quality Street tin purple, but more iridescent. They only choose 1 or 2 ‘King Oaks’ where they gather to attract a partner, and this year they appear to prefer the Camp Kitchen Oaks and by the Old School.
Spotted Redshank
- You may be lucky to see one of these from Wellmarsh Hide, in stunning breeding plumage. These scarce waders breed in Fenno-Scandinavia and Russia, wintering mostly in north-west Africa. They are only in breeding plumage for 2 months. This is an elegant jet-black background with silver speckles, like stars against a night’s sky.
Herons
- On most Land Rover Tours we have been seeing 4 species of heron, including the Bitterns, which are busy breeding now. These herons are: Grey Heron, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Bittern.
Owls
- The Little Owls have fledged, and we now have 8 fluffy youngsters wandering around after dark.
- We have 5 pairs of Barn Owl this year. Sadly, they are struggling to find food, because dry conditions = very few baby voles. Guests have the best chance of seeing them down by the hides at the moment.
- The Long-eared Owls are very active, and we have seen them on most dusk tours.
- Short-eared Owls are being very secretive at the moment.
Reptiles & Amphibians
- With lots of Marsh Frogs about, it is a good summer to watch out for Grass Snakes.
Butterflies
- Clouds of Meadow Browns.
- Look out on the brambles for Small and Essex Skippers. These are 20p coin size orange butterflies that are very quick, look a little bit like moths, and often overlooked as a result. The only way of telling the difference is by looking at the tips of their antennae – orange in Small Skippers, black in Essex Skippers.
June on the Reserve is a very special time, the Reserve is full of new life, wildflowers, and the incredible spectacle of skies full of wonderful wildlife. 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!