By Phoebe Taplin

Boardwalks lift ramblers out of muddy terrain and safely through fragile habitats that are home to some of the UK’s rarest species. They also enable people using wheelchairs, rollators and buggies to access wild and waterlogged landscapes. Here are some of the best boardwalks to help you explore wetlands, woodlands and coastlines this autumn.

 

1. Thursley National Nature Reserve, Surrey  

Around 8km/5 miles south-west of Godalming, Thursley Common encompasses heaths, bogs, woods and pools that are home to woodlarks, linnets, stonechats, cuckoos, curlews and lots more. You could spot an agile hobby hunting over the heath until about October, and after that – if you’re lucky – a great grey shrike. The common is rich in autumn lichens, mosses and fungi, too, including bristly haircap and spongy boletuses.  

The 1.3km/.-mile boardwalk, destroyed in a 2020 wildfire, reopened at the end of 2022. It winds through marshy areas, studded with sculptural Scots pines, between two main ponds. Look out for the wasp spider’s orb webs and raft spiders walking on water. There are further paths to explore, although the sandy terrain makes these tricky for pushchairs or mobility aids. The Greensand Way runs along one edge of the common.  

Find out more: surreyhills.org/places-to-see/thursley-national-nature-reserve   

 

2. Wild Chesil Centre, Dorset  

Chesil Beach is a 29km/18-mile shingle bank between West Bay and Portland. On its landward side is the Fleet, Britain’s largest tidal lagoon, where sandworms and rare DeFolin’s lagoon snails flourish among the waving seagrasses. Hundreds of brent geese arrive throughout the autumn, along with other migrating birds.  

The Wild Chesil Centre is right by the South West Coast Path as it crosses the causeway for a loop around the Isle of Portland. The accessible boardwalk leads over a river to the edge of the beach. There’s no view of the sea, but it’s a good place to watch oystercatchers, ringed plovers and red-breasted mergansers. The centre has its own cafe and there are great eateries locally, including the cheerful, seafood-forward Billy Winters Bar & Diner over the road.  

Find out more: dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/Wildchesilcentre   

 

3. Benar Beach, Gwynedd  

The long, level sands near Tal-y- Bont village offer cloud-echoing seascapes and views of the Llŷn Peninsula. The sand dunes nearby are part of the Morfa Dyffryn National Nature Reserve, which includes several threatened habitats. Seasonal fungi flourish here, including dramatic earthstars, brightly coloured waxcaps and branched coral fungi. Wading birds feed on the sand flats and salt marshes by the estuary.  

Wheelchairs and buggies can use the boardwalk, which winds gently from the car park to the beach across marram-grassed dunes. Part of the Wales Coast Path, the boardwalk also links the dunes to a picturesque patchwork of stonewalled fields with grazing sheep. Walkers looking for a longer hike could follow the coast path through fields to Tal-y-Bont and beyond, or north along the beach past Shell Island to Llanbedr Railway Station.  

Find out more: snowdonia.gov.wales/walk/benar-boardwalk/   

 

4. Aline Community Woodland, Isle of Lewis  

The Outer Hebrides is often thought of as a treeless area, so it’s surprising to find Aline Community Woodland flourishing here. It’s close to Loch Seaforth, the biggest sea loch on Lewis, and rich in all kinds of wildlife, from seals and red deer to woolly bear caterpillars. This area is where white-tailed eagles first nested after their reintroduction to Scotland, and visitors often spot them and other birds of prey.  

This wild area is open to everyone thanks to a 1.6km/ 1-mile buggy- and wheelchair-friendly boardwalk. The level East Boardwalk loops past a gently rippling lochan and has views of the northern hills, still purple with heather in the autumn. Those looking for something more challenging could follow part of the Hebridean Way, which runs through the woods on its journey from Vatersay to Stornoway.  

Find out more: alinewoodland.org   

 

5. Cascades Walk, Hafren Forest, Powys 

Afon Hafren is the Welsh name for the River Severn, which rises nearby and runs through this forest as it starts its 320km/200-mile journey to the sea. There are waterfalls – such as the dramatic Severn-Break-its-Neck – as well as wildflower meadows and boggy moorland. Many of the trees are evergreen firs from the forest’s commercial past, but there are also patches of regenerating broadleaves. Autumn offers coppery larches and purple heather. Look and listen for crossbills, siskins and woodpeckers.  

The Cascades Walk is an accessible 900m/ ½-mile route with a gradual downhill slope from the car park to the waterside boardwalk, looping back on a wide-surfaced path through the trees. For longer rambles, the forest has further waymarked trails, and the Severn Way and Wye Valley Walk converge here.  

Find out more: naturalresources.wales/days-out/places-tovisit/mid-wales/hafren-forest   

 

6. Holme to Thornham, North Norfolk coast  

Pink-footed geese call plaintively as skeins of them fly through autumnal Norfolk sunsets. Near the dunes, the silver-leaved sea buckthorn bushes are covered in orange berries, a feast for redwings. The coastal boardwalk had heavy use during the pandemic and needed months of repair work, while protecting the habitat of local natterjack toads. It reopened in 2022, thanks in part to local Ramblers who volunteered to replace boards along the North Norfolk coast.  

The 6.5km/4-mile walkway has been widened and now includes passing places and accessible sections. Walkers can complete a circular route or catch the hourly Coastliner bus up the road. Near Thornham, there are excellent shops and cafes at Drove Orchards.  

Find out more: explorenorfolkuk.co.uk 

 

7. Low Barns, County Durham  

The winding River Wear forms one edge of this watery reserve, which is about 5km/3 miles north-west of Bishop Auckland. Sand and gravel quarries closed here in the 1960s and the Durham Wildlife Trust took over. It’s now a Site of Special Scientific Interest, where three lakes, numerous pools, a network of streams, reedbeds and wet pasture provide varied habitats for birds. These include kingfishers, tawny owls, overwintering bittern and murmurations of starlings swirling through the autumn skies as they look for a place to roost. Starry yellow hedge maples and crimson hawthorn berries add splashes of colour and food for flocks of thrushes.  

The reserve’s paths are generally wide and flat between bird hides, which are also designed to be accessible. The boardwalk section runs through the reedbeds and reopened after repairs in October 2023.  

Find out more: durhamwt.com/nature-reserves/low-barns   

 

8. Walberswick Marshes, Suffolk  

Dunwich village is a kind of Suffolk Atlantis: a series of devastating medieval floods eroded the coast and drowned hundreds of houses here. Today, a series of marshes and saline lagoons lie between what’s left of Dunwich and the coastal village of Walberswick. Surrounded by waving reeds, the derelict 18th-century Westwood Marshes Mill is an atmospheric landmark.  

The stretch of boardwalk beside the Dunwich River passes the old brick windmill tower and is good for spotting bearded tits and warblers in the reedbeds. Ramblers seeking longer hikes have plenty of options, with the waymarked Suffolk Coast Path and Sandlings Walk. There are also wooden walkways and wirecovered duckboards in boggy Dunwich Forest, which lead through glowing golden birches in autumn. Neither route is easy to get to with a wheelchair, but there are accessible paths through the clifftop heather and copper-coloured bracken on nearby Dunwich Heath.  

Find out more: coastandheaths-nl.org.uk 

 

9. Foulshaw Moss, Cumbria  

Peat bogs such as Foulshaw Moss evolve over thousands of years, growing slowly as different mosses interact. Fluffy cotton grass, aromatic bog myrtle and carnivorous sundews flourish in this rare habitat. In autumn, ospreys and other migrating birds are leaving for Africa, while hundreds of teal and snipe start to arrive from Siberia. The sphagnum moss turns wine- and rust-red, lime and orange, among cranberries and evergreen bog rosemary. Listen for rutting red deer from October.  

The reserve is mostly step-free and wheelchairfriendly, with level paths to the bird hides. The boardwalk runs past slender gold-leaved silver birches and peat-brown ponds to a raised viewing platform.  

Find out more: cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk  

 

10. Rhododendron Labyrinth, Beacon Hill, Leicestershire

  

Beacon Hill Country Park, about 16km/ 10 miles north of Leicester, has bluebells in spring, orchid-rich meadows in summer and spectacular colours in autumn. Tawny beech trees form delicate canopies and frame fine views that reach for miles on a clear day. An axe, spearhead and jewellery were unearthed near the Bronze Age hillfort that once crowned the summit. There are carved wooden figures around the site and animal sculptures in the play area and Rhododendron Labyrinth.  

A wheel-friendly hilltop boardwalk runs through the labyrinth, which is a great place for kids to play hide-and-seek. The thickly interlaced rhododendron tunnels and winding walkway have a fairytale feel, enhanced by wooden owls and little doorways to discover.  

Find out more: leicscountryparks.org.uk/beacon-things-to-do/   

 

Do you have a favourite boardwalk Or maybe you’ve been mending local boards with your path maintenance team? Share your recommendations and photos with us on social media or via Your View, Walk magazine’s letters pages.