Risley Moss Nature reserve family walks

Risley Moss nature reserve is lovely for family walks, especially with young children or prams. It’s a designated local nature reserve in Warrington with 1.5 miles of well-surfaced paths, bird hides, wooden sculptures and nature trails. Find more pram friendly walks Cheshire here.

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Woodland path with grassy area and benches

Risley Moss car park

Risley Moss is located in Birchwood, Warrington, not far from the m62. There is a small free car park that is open when the visitors centre is. The gate does get locked when the reserve is closed.

You can check their website here (Risley Moss Local Nature Reserve) for current opening times. It is closed every Friday which is worth noting but do check the website before travel for other dates of closures and the opening times.

Woodland car park with a couple of parking spaces

Risley Moss map

Right next to the car park is a visitor’s centre with a map of the nature reserve and the various trails. You can also pick up trails and leaflets from inside (details below).

Risley Moss Visitor Centre

There is a small visitors centre with toilets and lots of information about the nature reserve. This is also where the rangers office is. This is also where you can pick up free nature trails to keep the kids entertained on their walk.

Inside a building with lots of maps and information on the walls

Inside of a wooden building with benches and sculptures

Risley Moss nature reserve

Risley Moss is an area of peat bog that is a remnant of the boggy landscape created at the ending of the last ice age. There are also meadow areas and woodland areas as well as peat bogs.

Grass scupture of a woman sleeping. Covered in autumn leaves

There are 2 bird hides, the woodland hide and the mossland hide. Both are set off down paths in different areas of the reserve, away from the main path. The mossland hide looks out over the mossland and the woodland hide is in a woodland area with lots of bird feeders and we saw quite a few species of bird on our visit.

The reserve is managed by Warrington borough council and is a site of special scientific interest. As well as all the wildlife, there are a series of wooden sculptures of different animals like frogs, snake, bear etc.

There are also some boggart sculptures which are mythical creatures that live in bogs. There are a number of these wooden boggarts around the trail which children will enjoy finding and seeing what colour scarves they are wearing.

The main path around the reserve is firm and suitable for wheelchair users and prams. A few areas were a little muddy but nothing major and it was easy to walk all the way around the 1.5 miles of paths.

Dotted around the woodland walk are a number of benches and a picnic area so pack the picnic.

Risley Moss nature trails

There are three different trails to choose from. They are clearly marked on the map and sign posted around the reserve. The longest one that takes in all of the reserve is just 1.5 miles. This is also the route you follow for any of the nature trail activity sheets that you collect from the visitors office.

There are 3 pre-printed activity trail sheets to choose from.

The boggarts and friends trail is perfect for toddlers and young children. There are several boggart sculptures dotted around the reserve as marked on the map. These sculptures have different coloured scarves that you need to identify and write on your sheet. There are also a lot more animal carvings who are also marked on the map as friends of the boggarts.

Wooden sculpture of a boggart with a scarf around his neck

For older children there are two to choose from:

A wildlife crossword trail where you are looking for wildlife picture clues to write into a crossword on your activity sheet.

An orienteering trail which is a map showing the location of all the orienteering points around the reserve.

Risley Moss observation tower

It’s worth noting that all the maps show the location of the former observation tower that sadly burnt down in 2017. We visited when the tower was still there and it gave a panoramic view of the mosslands.

Risley Moss action group have been exploring the possibility of replacing it but sadly it looks like a lower-level viewing platform is going to be the only feasible option which is planned for next year.

The mini-moss

The mini-moss is the only area of the reserve that is not accessible to prams and wheelchairs. When we visited in November 2022, it was closed for repair so we didn’t get to experience this area. My own children love a board walk so I’m sure it is a lovely addition when the repairs are complete.

4 vertical strips of photos of countryside including mountains, waterfalls and a wooden gruffalo sculpture

Enjoy family walks? Join the Family Walks North West Facebook group to be part of a community sharing the best walks for families across the region. Join here.

Nearby walks and things to do

There is no play area at Risley Moss, if that’s important to you, I can recommend driving a little bit further and exploring Pennington flash country park. This nature reserve is still great for prams but also has a large and recently renovated playground.

Find more Family walks North West here.

If you’re looking for an indoor attraction, Catalyst Museum isn’t too far away and is great for kids.

Find more great Things to do in Cheshire with toddlers here.