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Top spots to see hares
There are three main species of hare in the UK – brown, mountain and Irish. Early spring is the best time to spot these shy animals, as they can be seen 'boxing' each other during the mating season. Look out for them in our top pick of places below.
- Dark Peak Moors, Derbyshire
- The Dark Peak Moors are a great spot for mountain hares, which have adapted to the tough moorland conditions. They’re shy and nocturnal, so your best chance of spotting them is on an early morning walk or at dusk.Visit the Dark Peak Moors
- Divis and the Black Mountain, County Down
- Although their numbers have declined in Northern Ireland, Irish hares can still be found at Divis and the Black Mountain near Belfast. The combination of rush pasture, meadows and heather make up a habitat that provides them with food and shelter all year round.Visit Divis and the Black Mountain
- Durham Coast, County Durham
- The Durham Coast is a varied landscape with coastal bays, headlands, grassland and wooded valleys. As the hare mating season gets underway, they're at their most visible – if you’re lucky you might spot them ‘boxing’ in fields and along woodland edges.Visit the Durham Coast
- Hare Hill, Cheshire
- While the garden may be called Hare Hill, the hares themselves are elusive creatures. If you’re lucky, you may spot one during your visit. If not, there are several carvings of hares for you to find throughout the garden.Visit Hare Hill
- Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire
- The north side of the lake, known as the wilderness, is the most natural part of Kedleston's parkland. It’s a great place to spot birds such as owls and woodpeckers, and maybe even a hare or two.Visit Kedleston Hall
- Lyme, Cheshire
- The open spaces of Lyme Park are ideal hare-spotting territory during early spring. Head up to The Cage, a hill-top hunting lodge with sweeping views across the park, to see them ‘boxing’ and chasing each other.Visit Lyme
- Marsden Moor, West Yorkshire
- We care for more than 5,500 acres of moorland at Marsden, which is an ideal habitat for mountain hares. They become easier to spot zigzagging over the moor in winter, as their coats change colour from brown to white.Visit Marsden Moor
- Orford Ness, Suffolk
- Take a short boat trip to Orford Ness, a haven for wildlife. The brown hares here tend to be bigger than their mainland cousins and can often be spotted on the shingle bank from the top of the Bomb Ballistics building.Visit Orford Ness
- Rhosili, Gower Peninsula, Swansea
- Our team have been working hard to restore the Vile – one of the UK’s few surviving medieval strip field farming systems. The project includes restoring field boundaries, which act as corridors for farmland wildlife and provide homes for invertebrates and birds. Look out for brown hares in the open fields too.Visit Rhosili
- Sherborne Park Estate, Gloucestershire
- With woodland, open farm fields, ancient trees and water meadows, there are a huge range of habitats for wildlife at Sherborne Park Estate. Look out for raptors flying overhead and, if you’re lucky, you might spot a hare in the quieter areas of the estate.Visit Sherborne Park Estate
- Tyntesfield, Bristol
- The Tyntesfield estate supports a wide variety of flora and fauna, from bats to fungi. There are also hares living here, and in 2016 the team even found three leverets (baby hares) taking shelter in a flowerbed.Visit Tyntesfield
- White Horse Hill, Oxfordshire
- White Horse Hill is rich with wildlife and birds of prey, such as red kites and kestrels, are a common sight. If you’re lucky you might even spot one of the resident hares – they’re best seen in March when they begin competing for mates.Visit White Horse Hill
- Wimpole, Cambridgeshire
- Wimpole has an abundant population of brown hares due to its combination of different grasslands. There is also an abundance of arable land and woodland for hares to use as shelter from predators and the British weather.Visit Wimpole
- Yorkshire Coast
- The Yorkshire Wolds and coastline are a stronghold for brown hares in the north. See if you can track them by looking out for tufts of fur caught in brambles and fences.Visit the Yorkshire coast
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