College Lake Nature Reserve

College Lake Nature Reserve An outstanding centre for wetland wildlife with a visitor centre, café, shop, bird hides and trails. Assistance dogs only. No bikes, trikes or scooters.
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Opening times:
Tuesday-Sunday, 10:00-17:00 (last entry 16:00)
Closed on Mondays except Bank holidays

Did you know our Rangers Clubs are restarting? Join us next Saturday for our Young Rangers and Teen Rangers sessions - W...
19/09/2026

Did you know our Rangers Clubs are restarting? Join us next Saturday for our
Young Rangers and Teen Rangers sessions - We'll be exploring the reserve, taking part in valuable conservation work and discovering lots about wildlife!

Our Rangers sessions will be taking place on these dates:
🌿Saturday 26 September
🌿Saturday 17 October
🌿Saturday 14 November
🌿Saturday 5 December
(Young rangers runs 10:30-12:30 and Teen rangers 13:30-3:30)
Please prebook your tickets online - £10+ booking fee
🎟️ Young Rangers - https://buff.ly/4n5Tg43
🎟️ Teen Rangers - https://buff.ly/qiNpUuP

📷️ Lara Buxey

Join us for some mindful creativity next week at our Plants and Pigments workshop! Led by the brilliant Lisa from Growin...
17/09/2026

Join us for some mindful creativity next week at our Plants and Pigments workshop! Led by the brilliant Lisa from Growing Bright we'll be exploring the woodland to find 6 leaves, flowers or berries, creating a dye to colour one of the boxes and then drawing or tracing the plants you collected! You'll come away having spent a couple of mindful hours in nature with your beautiful artwork which also doubles as an ID sheet!

🌿 Thursday 24 September 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
🌿£20 + booking fee - Book here: https://buff.ly/3GYZVds

Looking for some new binoculars ready for winter migrants? Or maybe some advice on birdwatching accessories and scopes? ...
10/09/2026

Looking for some new binoculars ready for winter migrants? Or maybe some advice on birdwatching accessories and scopes? Join Rob from Opticron for our optics day! He'll be bringing a wider range of stock as well as strong optics knowledge and recommendations. Join us Sunday 13 September, just outside the visitor centre from 10am-3pm.

We're recruiting! We are on the look out for a *Café Manager* to join our team at College Lake Nature Reserve (Tring). ...
03/09/2026

We're recruiting! We are on the look out for a *Café Manager* to join our team at College Lake Nature Reserve (Tring).
If you're considering a new challenge in an amazing location, and love delivering great food and service then you can find more information and apply here:

Looking to get into birding? Why not join our birdwatching for beginners session next weekend! Our fantastic guides will...
30/08/2026

Looking to get into birding? Why not join our birdwatching for beginners session next weekend! Our fantastic guides will show you what’s on the reserve this time of year and where best to spot it - using the naked eye as well as ID guides and binoculars.
🪿 Saturday 5 September 10:30AM-1PM - £10
Book now to guarantee your spot: https://buff.ly/p6sVjhZ

📷 Zsuzsanna Bird

We're open this Bank holiday! Come and explore College Lake this Saturday, Sunday and Monday to squeeze in a walk and so...
27/08/2026

We're open this Bank holiday!
Come and explore College Lake this Saturday, Sunday and Monday to squeeze in a walk and some wildlife before the end of the summer holidays.

🪲Have a go at our Mad about Minibeasts trail exploring the wild woods and wildlife garden through fun facts and challenges (Available to pick up at the visitor centre for £2)

🐸 Or join us for some pond dipping this Saturday. For children aged 8+ at 12.00 and 4+ at 14:30. Each session includes a spot for their accompanying adult and can be prebooked (at bbowt.org.uk/events) or, providing there is space, rock up on the day!

☕️Our café will be open from 10-4pm offering breakfast, sandwiches, pasties and of course our delicious homemade cakes.

We'll see you there!

Why have we cut all the wildflowers? 🌱🪻To keep our meadows and flower verges looking great year after year, we must mana...
13/08/2026

Why have we cut all the wildflowers? 🌱🪻
To keep our meadows and flower verges looking great year after year, we must manage them correctly.

Wildflowers require certain conditions to thrive, such as low nutrient soils. After the plants flower, they draw all their energy reserves and nutrients from the flowers, down into their roots, adding it to the soil. Cutting and removing the vegetation at the right time, ensures low nutrient soil and prevents vigorous plants and ‘weeds’ taking over. Dropped wildflower seed will have the perfect conditions to grow strong the following year.

Thank you to our fantastic volunteer work parties for cutting, raking and clearing the banks so they can look just as fantastic next year. We have left an area of flowers are left to provide food and shelter to insects and small mammals.🪲🐁

Have you tried our summer trail yet? 🐛🐞🦗 This summer we're celebrating all our creepy crawlies with our 'Mad About Minib...
11/08/2026

Have you tried our summer trail yet? 🐛🐞🦗
This summer we're celebrating all our creepy crawlies with our 'Mad About Minibeasts' Trail. Starting from the visitor centre follow the trail through the woodland and wildlife garden to discover all about College Lake's Invertebrates, take on challenges and ideas to help them at home!

The trail is £2 and available at the visitor centre shop until the end of the school holidays. 🪲

🚏Did you know you could get to College Lake by bus? Alongside the Sunday 502 service to Aylesbury (11:12, 13:12, 15:40),...
09/08/2026

🚏Did you know you could get to College Lake by bus?

Alongside the Sunday 502 service to Aylesbury (11:12, 13:12, 15:40), there are two local on demand options can bring you here.

🚌 Village Connect
This Summer (until 28 August 2026) this service has been extended to include College Lake Nature Reserve and children under 16 travel free when accompanied by a paying adult. It will connect you with us from Aston Clinton, Bishopstone, Halton, Hartwell, Hulcott, Stoke Mandeville, Weedon, Weston Turville or Aylesbury.
https://buff.ly/3kPBfGs

🚌HertsLynx Dacorum
Serving a large number of virtual stops across Dacorum, including Tring, Berkhamsted, Hemel Hempstead and of course College Lake Nature Reserve. This service can also connect you from Tring Train Station to College Lake if you are travelling from further afield.
https://buff.ly/lLnx9a9

Both of these services require booking so take a look at their websites if you think they might be helpful to you. Safe Travels!🚍️

Ever wondered what creatures are hiding in our pond? Join us this weekend for one of our pond dipping sessions! 🐸 We hav...
07/08/2026

Ever wondered what creatures are hiding in our pond? Join us this weekend for one of our pond dipping sessions! 🐸

We have a few tickets remaining so check in at our shop to see if you can book on!(online sales have no ended). The sessions are:
🌿10:30-11:30 (children 7+)
🌿12:00-13:00 (children 7+)
🌿14:00-15:00 (children 4+)

📷️ Steve Thompson

Address

College Lake Nature Reserve, Upper Icknield Way, Bulbourne
Tring
HP235QG

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

01442 826774

Website

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