Natural England - Aqualate Mere NNR

Aqualate Mere NNR

Aqualate Mere NNR is a large lowland reserve situated in the grounds of Aqualate Hall.

Aqualate Mere

County: Staffordshire

Main habitats: Open Water

Area: 214.4 Ha

Site map: Nature on the Map.

Centred on Aqualate Mere - the largest natural lake in the West Midlands - the reserve also includes reedbeds, woodland and low-lying wet grassland.

To download a leaflet describing this site click here.

The mere is thought to be an example of a 'kettle hole', a depression formed by the melting of a large mass of glacial ice buried in sandy glacial deposits. Esker deposits (sand and gravel deposited by glacial rivers) are also found to the north and east of the mere.

The mere supports a diverse fish population and large numbers of wintering and breeding wildfowl. The remainder of the reserve also has a significant ornithological interest - including breeding curlew and snipe - and is important for its botanical and invertebrate communities and its glacial geomorphology.

Mammals found here include polecat, water vole and harvest mouse, together with bats such as pipistrelle, Daubenton's, Natterer's, Brandt's and whiskered.

Increasing use is being made of the reserve for freshwater biological research and the demonstration of management techniques.

Please note that, apart from public rights of way, access to the reserve is limited to permit holders. For details contact Natural England's Shropshire office.

Location and access

Aqualate Mere is 2 km east of Newport. By car, access to the reserve is via minor roads from the A518, A519 and A41.

The nearest train station is in Stafford. Bus services from Newport along the A518 are provided by Arriva Bus Midlands.

Newport is on National Route 55 and Regional Route 75 of the Sustrans National Cycle Network, and the reserve is 1.5 km north of an easy-access trail, the Way for the Millennium.

Facilities

The nearest toilet and refreshment facilities are in Newport.

Leaflets and signs are available for visitor information and there are public rights of way across parts of the reserve, some offering disabled access.

A hide on the eastern bank of the mere is open to the public.