Absolutely beautiful scenery, lovely to walk round (choose your route carefully, the long route is a lot further than it looks!) Plenty of parking for £4 all day, or if it's busy you can park on the road outside. Friendly staff in the little cafe which is reasonable. Lots of birds to see, depending on what time of year you go, and March - June you can hear a bittern booming which is ace. Highly recommend.

I love this place. It's accessible to a mobility scooter user like myself, mostly flat (once you get down into the basin) and there is plenty of space for everyone. Sunday was a great day for me as a birder - I took myself off there last minute & was rewarded with some great birds. For those interested, I saw a red kite, a hobby & a kestrel. The spoonbills were in their usual spot, 12 today, including juveniles. They came closer late afternoon & I got to observe them all in quite a frenzied feeding session, which was fantastic to watch. And if all that wasn't enough, I got to see a bittern not once but twice - the second time was a sweeping flight across the path that gave me a great view of my first bittern.

Great short walk. Lots of water fowl, great for kids all ages. Good access for wheelchairs. Odd ball, the dragline monument, huge excavator that dug out the mine, was very impressive. Thanks to the rspb staff for their friendly and helpful chat. Keep up the good work.

Stunning scenery & wildlife... Great a cafe with a good selection of cold & hot drinks & delicious range of cakes. Easy access for all both in the cafe & around the reserve... Toilets are kept clean too.

Beautiful walk, gorgeous frosty day for it and the trails were muddy but frozen so it didn't matter :) highly recommend it here! Spotted a fair few different birds and had the trails to ourselves at -4 degs haha

Very relaxing, plenty of seating as you walk around the water. Beautiful views from the picnic tables where you can eat your own food or food bought at the café. Worthwhile visiting.

Friends recommend this lovely RSPB location. Facilities include car park, cafe and toilets. You can choose from a short walk up to 3 or 4 hours. It's mostly level walking. The bird life is unbelievable. Well worth a visit.

Fabulous place. Lots of walks, great advice from the staff and easy paths. Also a fab cafe

Wonderful for a day out. Wide open spaces and beautiful views. Spacious footpaths. Long or shorter routes. Lots of interesting birds. Good cafe where you can sit inside or out. Only downside is that there is nowhere to shelter on the walk if it rains.

Lovely RSPB reserve wetland, my 2 year old loved to see the various birds and chasing colourful butterflies , its a lovely walk around the reserve all year round .The staff are absolutely fantastic 👏 had a lovely chat with Wilson who was quite knowledgeable and shared a lot of info about the place and the birds.!! Can't wait to go again 🙂. There is off-street parking outside the gate, but i would rather park inside the gate which is 4£ hopefully the proceeds go towards preservation of the place. I was told there is children's play area coming soon on one side of park , cafe was closed due to lack of volunteer during Covid times.Clean Toilets at entrance.

Popular nature location not far from Leeds Centre. About 15 mins drive from the city centre. Beautiful location that looks to have once been a working colliery. Since converted to a bird/nature reserve. Strewn with myriad of footpaths and cycle paths, the area is split into shorter, medium and longer distance walks. There are areas to sit and take in the beauty as well as various spots to plot up with a camera and tripod to capture the many species of bird that pass through at different times of the year. There is a large car park on site, toilets and what appeared to be a gift shop and cafe. It gets very busy at the weekend and the car park was full on arrival and so I parked on the roadside outside. There is an old mining machine there which is impressively large and a reminder of the recent past when the area was a colliery. Definitely worth a visit for an easy but lovely walk.

Another great RSPB reserve. Walked 8k around, meet some great people including the volunteers workers. Finished up with some good pictures. Top location.

Gorgeous place to get away for a bit of peace & quiet. Great for Bird watchers & photographers, especially loved the wild ponies. Cafe on site & toilets .

Wonderful experience albeit wet and snowy. Just an amazing walk and plenty to see. Looking forward to going back.

Love this place. Great walk, great birds and some of the nicest people. Dogs also allowed.

Bit windy and very muddy in some places. Lovely walks to go around, plenty of birds of different variety still there :) horses in the field. Can easily spend all day there walking around. If going next week weeks wear boots or wellies 🤣 I made mistake of wearing white trainers still lovely walk. Never disappointed when re connecting with nature x

Bring your wellies in the winter or a good set of walking boots as it gets pretty muddy. Lovely open walk with a massive, historic piece of mining equipment next to the car park. Walking paths are long and flat with lake and river views. You have to pay for the car park, but it goes towards the RSPB.

I was massively surprised when I came here. If you look at the history of the area this must have been a grim place not so long ago. But now this is a real gem of a nature reserve. Truly beautiful place to walk, mountain bike, or to take the children.

Great place for the twitcher. Lots of water birds to see. Wear some waterproof boots

This is a place filled with beautiful birds in a nice environment. We went there because one of my friends told me that we could see short ear Owl after 3 pm. We arrived around 11 am and met another friend who also wished to see the Owl! We saw lots of birds, for examples: two beautiful Stonechats (male and female), three Kestrels, lots of Teals (probably over 100s), Tufted ducks, lots of Goldfinches, Kingfisher (flew away when we to take photo), ... etc. Very very happy with whatever we saw. It was near 3 pm and we went to the place for Owl and a lot of people were waiting there also including three RSPB representatives. They asked us if we have seen the Owl there and they explained the behaviour of the Owl ... we chatted and chatted but still no appearance of the Owl. Well no Owl that day but there were so many beautiful birds. We said good bye to new and old friends! Very very nice indeed!

Beautiful place, loads to see scenery and birds, better in dryer season, nice as you can bring your dog...on a lead!

Take a pair of binoculars! We didn't and saw a lot of birds, you cannot get close to the habitats, but as the land is flat you can see, just not far enough. If you fancy an almost entirely flat walk of about 3 miles, this is your place. Staff were helpful and pleasant. Got some nice photos.

Beautiful place. A lot of people swim in the lake but if that's not your thing there is a beautiful walk around the lake. It is wheelchair accessible as well. There are benches all the way around the lake, so if your mobility isn't brilliant there are plenty of places to rest. Enjoy x

Lovely evening walk, just as the birds were settling down for the night so not quite quiet.

Lovely place to visit. Ideal for walking, bike riding as well. Great place to watch birds! Don't forget to visit local coffe and contribute towards environment😊👍🐦

A great place for a short or long stroll. The parking is ample at the entrance, but you can park nearby if there are no spaces available.

St Aidan's is my go to place to get back to nature,a wonderful walk with plenty of paths to see the myriad of birds and wildlife,a good visitor centre with knowledgeable volunteers, always the chance of a rare bird

Came here for a walk with the kids and we loved it, Car Park was reasonably priced and there is a toilet on site as well. The kids loved seeing the birds, We will be coming back here again.

Beautiful location walk, ride or just sit and enjoy a coffee looking at nature. Fabulous place for wildlife photography if you are around Leeds.

This is a beautiful place , with good paths and routes for walking around. Benches dotted around where you can sit and enjoy the views and the wild life. There is always something interesting to look at. Friendly staff at the visitor centre and usually plenty of parking.

Great place for trekking, walking dog and MTBing! Plenty of trails off the beaten track to explore, plenty of wildlife to see especially in the summer with dragonflies buzzing about! Can get flooded and soft underfoot during the winter months so be prepared!

Brilliant place to walk around and enjoy the nature. Has a wide variety of trails to choose from long and short and a brilliant range of wildlife to spot. However, they shouldn't allow dogs (pets) as they tend to scare the birds and animals aways and seeing people let their dogs run around and swim in the water disturbs their habitats and ruins the whole experience especially when they can't control their dogs and are shouting to call their dogs bag etc. If they stopped allowing pets such as dogs then I would give this place a 5 star, I still think its stupid to have even allowed them in the first place seen as its a nature reserve.

It’s been amazing to see the sanctuary come together. Lovely walks and cycling. A kaleidoscope of birds and environments. The cafe is very friendly and well priced. Lots of interesting things to see and do. Reasonable amount of parking. Great to visit for all ages. I’ve been there in every kind of weather and I’m always glad I’ve been.

Brilliant walk with the flora & fauna bird life very good including butterflies & other interesting insects, great place to walk dog too. The size is massive & so peaceful

Great walks but a bit flooded, great adventurising!!!

Really beautiful place just make sure you wear wellies or hiking boots at this time of year, the mud is very impressive!

Beautiful place stunning views good for walks bike rides and joggers ..cafe there too. friendly staff very helpful ☺..update 19.02 19 they are building a small play area near the cafe should be done summer this year 😉

Beautiful place. Gorgeous walking amongst all the wildlife.

Great open space, birds, lake, friendly staff, helped with any issues

A lovely place to walk around with paths in all directions

Love this place ❤

Nice walk to be enjoyed by all ages

Lovely place

Great place to visit, lots of lovely walks, plenty of oppourtunity to see wildlife, nice dog walk for dogs on lead.

(Translated by Google) Similar climates as in Poland (Original) Podobne klimaty jak w Polsce

Very nice for short walk

Great place for a wild swim. Talk to the staff there and they'll talk you through the basics of swimming there and respecting the birds.

Brilliant place for a long walk and cycling. Please donate and keep the place open let's not loose a great place for nature.

A brilliant place that's sectioned into slightly different environments for birds to choose their preferred environment. You could easily spend an entire day walking around just watching all kinds of birds do what they do. A great place for a family visit.

Lovely, great views, well maintained footpaths

Nice walking

Flooded when I visited but buzzing with wildlife. A fantastic land reclamation.

Volunteers are incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. History and heritage surround the 100 acre reserve. It's possible to access from many of the surrounding villages - methley, woodlesford, great Preston. Apparently the mine used to be 70m deep. Great place for walking the dog.

Excellent for birdwatching

Lovely nature reserve. Great for a Sunday morning with the family.

Very muddy due to the recent floods but still plenty of wildlife to see and friendly staff to chat with.

Nice

Great place to visit and cycle round any time of the year

Superb wetland nature reserve, with big views, a great little visitor center, knowledgeable helpful staff & a long list of special birds to be viewed, including Short Eared Owls, Kingfishers & Bitterns.

Super place to visit. Former mining area that has been made into a nature reserve

Lovely place for a stroll and to watch the wildlife

To find something like this in a city like leeds is fantastic and they seem to be adding to it all the time

Lovely place to go. Went on a guided walk lots of birds to see incl Marsh Harrier and green woodpecker. Will be going again..

St Aidans is a wonderful place to walk and see birds, both big and small.

Lovely place to walk around. Lots of different birds and various paths off the perimeter path if you want to.go further

Very nice walks. Cheap access (£3.00 car parking). Wear walking boots!

Lovely RSPB Reserve. Great walks throughout and plenty to see. Staff were excellent.

A lovely place to visit with plenty to see

Beautiful and serene with many trail options for different scenery and lengths of sojourn. We saw so many different types of waterfowl! Trails wide, well-kept and majority flat. Nice place for rainbow-spotting...

Really enjoyed this nature reserve. Circular walks with different options depending on time. Good views over the water, some tracks were elevated, others at water level. The old huge machinery from the open cast mine is there, which I found interesting to look at and photograph, as well as the birds. Saw our first Stonechat, so very happy. Will return.

Peaceful & tranquil, busy but so much space that distancing from others was easy, beautiful scenery

Always a lovely relaxing place to visit. Large car park which is free for RSPB members and just £4 for the car for non-members (entry to the reserve is free). Clean toilet facilities and a nice little visitor centre selling light refreshments and RSPB merchandise. Reserve maps are also available. Friendly staff always on hand to answer any questions, advise on sightings and help to identify wildlife spotted. Well worth a visit and much of the reserve is wheelchair friendly. A place a visit very regularly.

Very interesting venue, with helpful friendly staff. You don't have to be a bid watcher to enjoy this site. Plenty of scope for walking, mountain biking and very welcome takeout refreshments. I went on a day of winter sun - exhilarating! Down side is the limited parking. Buses get you there as does a bike. Be kind to the village!!

This is a great place to for a walk, run or bike ride. Very scenic views looking across the lakes. I can see why this is a very popular destination for bird watchers.

Great place good choice of walks .. a bit muddier than expected but decent 3 mile round trip

Beautiful place for a nice walk. There is a boat that sells tea, coffee and snacks. Also a nice cafe and toilets. Great for kids and fairly flat.

Didn't get there until late. Lucky toilets are open until 4. From tomorrow drinks available take out due to Corvid regulations,the picnic tables have had to be removed. There are benches around the footpaths to sit down.Lovely up there today but bitterly cold.

Lovely walk noce day out

Fantastic

An oasis on outskirts of Leeds improving as it matures

Very busy today. No short eared owls unfortunately.

Great place to walk around since that's all we're allowed to do. Nothing worth travelling far for though

Amazing place to walk and see nature

Muddy but lovely place. Popular with dog walkers.

BEAUTIFUL VIEWS AT ANY TIME OF YEAR. PLENTY OF WALKING ROUTES.

Stunning. Do check out the path/ route if it's been raining. Areas do get flooded

Lovley place for walk with lots of space for covid safety.

Lovely day out

Absolutely fant place to walk, run, cycle and even wild swim.

Nice work lovely views

It is great for various types of activities , walking, running, cycling. A large collection of bird life. It's just a great place to be.

Great day out walking round St Aidan's

In touch with nature

they do a fantastic job at st aidans .always on hand with advice /information .you are always made to feel welclome .well worth a visit .even if its to walk around .

A very nice pleasant place to walk with various degrees of the distance you're capable of and able to do👍🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️

Lovely walk today , longer or shorter walks available to suit ability. Really helpful staff member.

Great place to stretch those legs and take ur fur baby to stretch theres .

Beautiful walks

Beautiful area,, walk for miles,, stunning picturesque views

Visit was on a Monday which was really quiet.....lovely walk with lots of wildlife to see.

Wonderful place

Lovely place to visit with a lot of bird life and Deer.

Amazing place for walk.

A very peaceful spacious reserve , enjoyed a nice walk with our grandchildren , will be visiting again in better weather

Great place to walk around and different paths to canal or Riverside as well as around the ponds.

Lovely and peaceful walk today.

Large easily accessible nature reserve. Lots of walking and wildlife.

Great place with 4or5 different walk toilets and a little cafe grate for the dogs will be going back

Excellent place to visit. Full of wildlife, nice routes to walk round. The abandoned lock was a hidden bit of history.

A lovely place to walk or cycle for the whole family. Car park, toilets, cafe and good, mainly level paths for walks of varying lengths around various waters and marshes with plenty of birds to be seen and heard. There is one steep path on entering and leaving the park by the main entry.

Beautiful place Easy to walk Lots of birds Wheelchair friendly Cafe only has drinks and snacks

Love this place for walks, there is a nice little cafe also, picnic benches, kids and dogs had a fab time, lovely!

Love this place. Choose from long or short walks. Several watery areas. Large open areas, not much shade in hot weather and can get very muddy in wetter weather. Large amount of waterfowl to see. The birds are very loud in spring.

Love having this on my doorstop, great 4 mile walk around the lakes on the outer perimeter, more if you weave in and out.

Huge place to walk around. Lots of different trails and unlike a lot of nature reserves there seems to be trails close to the lakes and wetlands so you get to see a lot more wildlife up close. Parking is £4 for the day which goes back to funding the RSzpB for the upkeep of the site. There is a machine on site that is card or phone payment only or you can pay cash in the onsite cafe. In the car park there is a huge old mining dredge that was used by British coal for open cast mining and is apparently the last remaining example in Europe. Some of the paths can be really muddy and boggy so sensible footwear is recommended.

First time visiting. Needed to use the sat navigation and map to get to the car park. Plenty of parking spaces. Took a stroll around the trails and saw lots of birds, some with young. Also there is an enormous machine there, left over from the mining days. There were quite a few local "twitchers" who had tips on what to see and where to get good views. So I/we had a brilliant day out and had lots of photos to view when we were home.

Nice walk around at a steady pace nice walk for the family too as its flat in most places. Plenty of birds to see. Also very friendly staff.

Phenomenal rspb reserve and sanctuary from busy life , always feels like iam in the lake district when iam there due to the wide expanse of nature and diverse wildlife, don't forget to visit the cafe for a break and a cuppa and slice of excellent cake.

Great walking nature reserve, bird's wildlife. Pluse RSPB center for a coffee, Or better still Rivers meet caffee. Lovily fresh prepared food...full recommend after a Walk round the nature reserve.