About the reserve

Please note: This site is inaccessible due to the treacherous ground conditions – however, the Great Eastern Pingo Trail passes down the western edge along the disused railway embankment, which makes an ideal viewing point. 

Cranberry Rough is an unusual and mystical place; it was once a shallow lake which has since been lost to the elements. Much of the reserve is quite dangerous, as the ground is made of deep, wet peat – layers of rotting plants, which over time turn into very wet soil. On top of the peat, sits a coating of ‘hover’ – a mat of thick, floating vegetation rather like a skin on custard. 

Lush wetland plants thrive here thanks to the wet conditions. Secluded and undisturbed, this unique site has become a breeding spot for snipe; an increasingly rare breeding bird in the UK. On a warm spring evening you may hear the eerie sound of snipe ‘drumming’ their tail feathers in display flight to attract a mate.