Become a member
Join today and help protect nature, beauty and history – for everyone, for ever. Enjoy access to more than 500 places with National Trust membership.
Copt Hall Marshes
Explore the beautiful Blackwater Estuary
Copt Hall Lane, Little Wigborough, Essex, CO5 7RD
Important notice
Our small car park at Copt Hall Marshes is open 8am-6pm . You don't need to book, but spaces are limited, so if the car park is full, please come back another time.
Opening times for 21 December 2024
Asset Opening time Countryside 09:00 - 17:00 MTWTFSS2526272829301234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303112345OpenPartially openClosedCar park
Dogs allowed
Under close control or on leads. Please keep to the marked trails.
No toilets. Some areas may be difficult to access.
By road
Take the B1025 towards Mersea to Copt Hall Lane. Follow the lane to our small car park.
By train
Nearest train stations Colchester, Kelvedon, Witham.
By bus
50B service from Colchester stops at Copt Hall Lane
Copt Hall Lane, Little Wigborough, Essex, CO5 7RD
Highlights
Farm
Working farm on the remote Blackwater Estuary. Important area for breeding birds such as the lapwing and barn owl.
Things to see and do
Article
Explore Copt Hall Marshes
Explore Copt Hall Marshes, a wildlife-rich working farm on the Blackwater Estuary, part of the extensive Essex coastline.
Places to stay
Thorington Lodge
A cosy gate lodge on the side of a 17th-century Suffolk farmhouse.
Thorington Hall
A striking eight-bedroom farmhouse with fine historic detailing throughout.
Upcoming events
Sorry, there are no upcoming events at this place
About Copt Hall Marshes
Under leaden skies with a face full of wind there's nowhere like Copt Hall for refreshing the mind and blowing away the cobwebs.
As a working farm on the remote and beautiful Blackwater Estuary Copt Hall balances arable crop production and access with coastal nature conservation. Our work involves creating and maintaining a variety of wildlife rich habitats including nectar-rich areas for insects; field margins, scrub and hedgerows for farmland birds; and wet grassland and scrapes for waders and wildfowl.
Copt Hall is a really important area for breeding birds such as corn bunting, yellow hammer, skylark and barn owl, which have been encouraged by this work. The site is noted for overwintering wildfowl and waders including Brent geese, curlew and golden plover. These can be viewed on the fields and saltmarsh whilst enjoying a bracing walk around the farm trails and along the sea wall to our bird hide overlooking the scrapes.