Strensall Common Nature Reserve is a wide-open expanse of internationally important lowland heath just north of York, rich in wildlife and perfect for a family walk among heather, lizards, dragonflies and heathland birds. 

Strensall Common Nature Reserve | Nature Reserve in York

• Opening Hours: Open at all times
• Location: Common Road, Strensall, York, North Yorkshire, YO32 5YB
• Suitable for: Families and wildlife enthusiasts - not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs
• Booking: No booking required
• Cost: Free entry
• Website: https://www.ywt.org.uk/nature-reserves/strensall-common-nature-reserve

Just a short drive from York's ring road, Strensall Common feels like a world apart. Part of a larger area of internationally important lowland heath in the Vale of York, the 42-hectare reserve takes in wet and dry heath, woodland, open water, mire and acid grassland, supporting over 150 plant species and an impressive range of wildlife. A 1.5-mile circuit offers a straightforward route through the landscape, though there are plenty of other paths to explore if you want to roam further.

The heathland is especially spectacular in August, when ling heather and cross-leaved heath turn the common a vivid purple. It's also one of the best places in the area to spot common lizards basking on silver birch stumps, as well as adders - best admired from a safe distance on the path. Look up for stonechats, woodlarks, tree pipits, green woodpeckers, cuckoos and hobbies hunting dragonflies, and down into the rushes for bog bush-crickets and the striking dark-bordered beauty moth.

Hebridean sheep graze the common in summer to help keep encroaching birch and bracken in check, and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust also maintains the open-water ponds that are home to southern hawker and black darter dragonflies. It's a quietly extraordinary place to bring children to discover just how much wildlife can thrive on a stretch of open heath so close to the city.

Good to Know

• Dogs are welcome on leads on the surrounding paths, but are not permitted on the common itself. Sheep graze in the area.
• Take care when crossing the railway line at Common Road.
• Paths are uneven and can become very boggy in winter - wellies are a good idea.
• The large heathland enclosure north of the railway is not accessible for wheelchairs or pushchairs due to small kissing gates.
• Adders are present on the reserve - stay on footpaths and give them plenty of space.
• Roadside parking is available in the lay-by at the Common Road level crossing, or near the cattle grid as you enter the common.
• A regular bus service runs from York to Strensall village.
• Local shops and pubs are available in Strensall village, around two miles away.
• Nearest public toilets are at Monks Cross and Clifton Moor shopping centres, around five miles away.
• Best time to visit is March to September.

Photo credit: https://www.ywt.org.uk/nature-reserves/strensall-common-nature-reserve