| Please note that as of 23rd April 2009 Nansmellyn Marsh is OPEN to the public again. The new section of boardwalk has been completed. Unfortunately there is still no access to the bird hide as this has been vandalised. |
Habitat type: Reedbed, stream and marshland
Size of reserve: 5 hectares / 11 acres
OS map number: 104
Grid reference: SW 762 541
Best time to visit: All year
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Directions
From the Perranzabuloe Sports Club car park, off the road to Goonhavern, just east of Perranporth.
Access
Parking is available at the Sports Club; the boardwalk which usually enables disabled access is currently awaiting repair, so we regret to say that this is currently unsuitable for wheelchairs and is muddy for other visitors. The bird hide is also temporarily unavailable as it has been vandalised. Repairs to both of these features will be completed once suitable funding becomes available. It is difficult and dangerous to venture into the reedbed, so visitors are asked to stay on the paths and boardwalks.
Characteristic wildlife of this reserve
Cetti's warbler is a small, shy bird with an astonishingly loud song that lasts for a few seconds but which may be heard both day and night in spring. This warbler is rich russet on top, with a broad tail and short, rounded wings.
The common reed is a vigorous perennial plant with long flat greyish-green leaves that turn russet with purplish plumes in summer. It grows to 3m, with stiff straight stems. Reedbeds support a wide variety of wildlife and also play an important part in removing toxins from waste water, a natural sewage treatment works.
Desmoulin's whorl snail was discovered at this reserve, the first time it had been recorded in Cornwall. The reeds are now being managed to favour this species. This snail became famous during the proposed Newbury Bypass road building scheme in the late 1990s when its presence was used as an argument against the development.
Otters have long slender bodies covered with brown fur, often paler on their belly. They are indicators of a healthy aquatic system with plentiful fish stocks and good riverside habitat. Fish are the otter’s most important food source, but they do also eat birds and frogs.
Other information
The reserve plays a crucial role in the local flood alleviation scheme and protects the Bolingey Stream from pollution. It was not always a reedbed: in the mid-19th century it was used for pasture and arable crops, but the flood protection banks altered the drainage of the fields.
