Bog Meadows

Situated in west Belfast beside the M1 motorway, this Local Nature Reserve has recently been awarded the Man and the Biosphere award for Urban Wildlife Excellence (UNESCO). It is an oasis for wildlife and people in the city – comprising a mosaic of reedbeds, meadows, ponds, woodland, streams and hedgerows. During the summer months, the nature reserve hosts significant numbers of African visitors of the feathered variety, including sedge, willow and grasshopper-warblers, sand martins and swallows.

Access: There are over 3km of “access for all” paths with interpretation, and a car park. This nature reserve is open to the general public all year round.

Getting There: Adjacent to the M1, Milltown Cemetery and St. Louise’s College. The nature reserve is reached via Milltown Row, marked by a Brown and White Tourist sign on the Falls Road.

Look out for: giant bird table, conservation cattle, hawker dragonflies, lapwing, reed bunting, stonechat, Leisler’s bats.