Please note Test Valley Borough Council will be closing the Barge Canal footpath is between the car park and the east/west path on the 3rd February 2026 while a large ash tree across the canal is removed off site. During this time please use an alternative route. We apologise for any inconvenience caused during this time.
Heron at Fishlake © Roger Betteridge
Fishlake Meadows Nature Reserve
Location
OS Map Reference
SU 357 221
Know before you go
Dogs
Please keep dogs under effective control and walk your dog only on the designated rights of way. To avoid damage to the canal bank and ditch sides please allow your dog to only enter the water at the reinforced stepped access points.
When to visit
Opening times
Open at all times.Car park open 8am-6pm
If you are visiting when the car park is closed, please be respectful of our neighbours and park in one of the car parks in town. You can access Fishlake Meadows along the canal footpath from Romsey town.
Best time to visit
Visit in winter to see wildfowl, visiting marsh harriers and majestic great white egrets. Spring brings reed and sedge warblers as well as a great variety of migrant birds. In summer you’ll see dragonflies, fen vegetation and marsh orchids.About the reserve
Fishlake Meadows boasts a mix of floodplain habitats rarely seen in our chalk river valleys. It is a rare example of how working with the planning system can provide an opportunity to protect an important wildlife site. Fishlake Meadows is managed in partnership with Test Valley Borough Council.
The reserve is a mix of open water, reedbed, fen and wet meadow that is criss-crossed by channels and ditches. In the summer, as the rest of the countryside dries in the heat, Fishlake Meadows remains luscious and green.
Catch sight of playful otters or the flash of blue from a passing kingfisher and count up to 24 species of dragonflies and damselflies.
During winter enjoy seeing marsh harrier and great white egret among a mass of birdlife. In late spring and early summer, warblers and cuckoo are in full song.
Enjoy an impressive variety of plants, including hemp agrimony, that are popular with butterflies like peacock and red admiral. Watch the yellow loosestrife bee collect oils from yellow loosestrife so it can waterproof its nest.
Follow surfaced paths to a viewing screens in the centre of the reserve to observe the wildlife on the water.
Seasonal Highlights:
- In the spring, hear reed and sedge warbler along with other migrant birds.
- Over summer, marsh orchid can be seen in the wet meadows, along with intricate patterns of fen vegetation.
- In autumn, osprey are known to stop over, sometimes for several weeks, on their way to wintering grounds in West Africa.
- In winter visit at dusk for a chance to see the stunning starling murmuration aerial displays.
