Radipole Lake and Lodmoor are the RSPB’s two reserves inside Weymouth itself: a reedbed in the middle of the town and a coastal marsh on its eastern edge. Both are free to enter, whether or not you are a member, and both hold birds people travel to Dorset for — bearded tits, Cetti’s warblers, winter waders and, in summer, a common tern colony. Both appear on the free things to do list; this is the closer look at how each one works on the ground.
Radipole Lake is an 83-hectare urban wetland, a Site of Special Scientific Interest of reedbeds, saline lagoons and scrub, sitting in the middle of Weymouth. Lodmoor is a coastal wetland — reedbed, saltmarsh, wet grassland and open water — also an SSSI, about a mile north-east of the town centre, next to Lodmoor Country Park and on the shore the Dorset National Landscape protects. They are run as one pair, but the practical differences matter more than the ecology. Radipole is open 24 hours a day and has the visitor centre, café and toilets. Lodmoor opens dawn to dusk, has no centre and no toilets, and leans on Radipole or the Country Park for facilities. Entry to both is free for everyone; donations are welcome.
Radipole is best known for its bearded tits, and it is one of the best places in the UK to see them, with a strong breeding population. Kingfishers are regular and breeding has been recorded; Cetti’s warblers sing throughout the reedbed, and a 2024 survey recorded a record count of them — the second-highest of any RSPB reserve. Otters and water voles are here as well, bitterns arrive in winter, and marsh harriers quarter the reeds, with hobbies over them in summer. Winter waders — dunlin, snipe, redshank and lapwing — come onto the lagoons alongside gadwall, teal and shoveler.
There is no ticket and no membership check at the gate. If you want to know what is about before you travel, the reserve’s number is 01929 553360 and the email is [email protected].
Lodmoor is the open, windswept counterpart: shallow pools, saltmarsh grassland and reedbed behind the shore. Summer belongs to a noisy common tern colony, with bearded tits and Cetti’s warblers in the reeds. Winter is the wader season — lapwing, black-tailed godwit, dunlin, snipe and golden plover — with bitterns and marsh harriers over the reedbed, kingfishers along the ditches and Mediterranean gulls among the common gulls. Otters have been recorded here too.
Treat Lodmoor as a walk with binoculars rather than a day under cover: there is no visitor centre to shelter in, and the nearest public toilets are at Overcombe corner.
The seasons split the two reserves cleanly. Autumn and winter are the time for bearded tits at the grit trays and for Lodmoor’s wader flocks, when a scope earns its keep. Spring and summer are for singing warblers, dragonflies over the pools and the tern colony in full voice. Neither reserve shuts down in bad weather — the reeds hold birds in rain, and Radipole’s floor-to-ceiling windows keep you dry while you watch. The when to visit piece covers the town’s seasons; the reserves sit inside them rather than apart from them.
Radipole’s trails are firm and flat — concrete or crushed stone — with two signposted nature trails, including the circular Buddleia Trail. Dogs are allowed on short leads on the designated trails only, and in the Discovery Centre; assistance dogs may go anywhere. No barbecues.
Lodmoor has three signposted trails that combine into a loop. The Marsh Trail follows shallow pools through saltmarsh grassland, good for ducks, waders and terns. The Reedbed Trail gives views over the reedbed, where bearded tits show in summer and bitterns in winter beneath marsh harriers. The Overcombe Trail crosses wet grassland and scrub, holding winter ducks and water pipits and, in summer, warblers and finches. The paths are mostly flat but muddy after rain, and a viewing screen gives the closest views over the reedbed.
Lodmoor’s viewing screen is the best close view of the reedbed. At Radipole, the Discovery Centre’s floor-to-ceiling windows are the sheltered option, with a picnic patio beside them.
One change matters if you are planning around a particular platform. In December 2025 the RSPB announced that some Radipole viewing platforms, which stand in water permanently, have reached the end of their safe life and are being removed this winter. Do not bank on a named platform still being there — check the RSPB’s reserve page before you go, and treat any site that claims the paths have closed as wrong; the key paths stay maintained.
Radipole Lake Visitor Centre is at Weymouth DT4 7TZ (what3words assume.quit.shall), a short walk from Weymouth railway station. Buses stop at King’s Statue and the bus depot within half a mile, and the reserve sits on National Cycle Network Route 26. From the town centre it is a short walk along the water.
Lodmoor is about a mile north-east of the centre, and the two reserves are a short walk or drive apart; the RSPB publishes no walking time between them, so plan each on its own rather than trusting a link. The without a car guide covers the rest of the town.
Neither reserve has its own car park. Radipole points you to the adjacent Dorset Council Swannery pay-and-display car park, satnav DT4 7TY — a 24-hour car park with 915 spaces, 18 Blue Badge bays and 3 motorcycle bays, and no height restriction. Charges apply Monday to Sunday, 8am to 6pm: up to 30 minutes £0.80, an hour £1.50, two hours £2.30, three hours £3.30, four hours £5.30 and ten hours £9, with parking free from 6pm to 8am. Blue Badge holders pay the standard charge and get one extra hour free; display the badge and clock.
Two cautions, straight from the council. Read the tariffs on the board at the machine rather than from memory, because they change. And do not scan a QR code in any Weymouth car park — Dorset Council does not use them, and fake ones have been reported as scams. Pay at the machine, by phone on 01305 235498 or through JustPark (location 6204). The parking guide has the town’s other car parks.
The Wild Weymouth Discovery Centre at Radipole is open 10am to 4pm daily, with the café and toilets on the same hours; the RSPB notes the hours can vary by season, so check before relying on them for a lunch stop. There is an accessible toilet and baby changing, the picnic patio, and the windows for watching without the weather.
Lodmoor has no centre, café or toilets at all — the RSPB points visitors to Radipole Lake or the nearby Country Park. Doing Lodmoor on its own means a short visit or bringing what you need.
In December 2025 the RSPB reviewed both reserves and announced changes that other sites have since mangled into a “path closures” story. The accurate version, as of that announcement: both reserves remain open and managed. Some Radipole viewing platforms are being removed this winter because they have reached the end of their safe life. The key paths stay maintained, but not every path or sightline will be cut back as it once was; some paths become lower-maintenance “wild trails” with more overgrown vegetation. A new visitor footbridge has gone in at Radipole, a new water control structure at Lodmoor, channels have been cleared at Radipole and reeds cut at both. The RSPB is also exploring whether Radipole Lake itself can be restored.
If you want a hand in the upkeep, the RSPB is looking for volunteers and a “Friends of Radipole Lake and Lodmoor” group — email [email protected].
The South Dorset RSPB Local Group runs the useful events here. On Tuesday 13 October 2026 a field trip meets at 9:30am at the junction of Southdown Avenue and Beachdown Way for a morning at Lodmoor, then Radipole Lake or Ferrybridge in the afternoon, decided on the day. It is free; bring your own refreshments, car-share if you can and leave the dog at home. On Thursday 22 October 2026 the group hosts “An update on the RSPB’s work at our Weymouth reserves” with Peter Robertson, Senior Sites Manager for Dorset Reserves, at The Quiet Space in Poundbury DT1 3SE, doors 7:15pm for 7:30pm; tickets are £4 for members and £5 for visitors, including tea and coffee. Check the organiser’s page before you go — the RSPB’s own events platform could not be confirmed for this season, so the South Dorset RSPB Local Group’s website is where to look.
Start at Radipole: park at Swannery, walk the Buddleia Trail and watch from the Discovery Centre windows, then move on. Take the short walk or drive to Lodmoor and do the three trails as one loop, finishing at the viewing screen. If waders are your target, leave Lodmoor for late afternoon. If the café matters, do Radipole first and check the opening hours the day before. Both reserves are free, so a half-day costs you parking and whatever you leave in the donations box.