Wem Moss

An ancient piece of wilderness; an outstand example of a lowland raised bog.

Location

Between Wem and Ellesmere
Wem
Shropshire
SY13 2LT

OS Map Reference

SJ 47083 34097
What3Words: bloom.careless.warmers
Parking:
SJ 46883 33387
What3Words: heightens.kipper.seaside
A static map of Wem Moss

Know before you go

Size
28 hectares
z

Entry fee

No
P

Parking information

At SJ469334 in unofficial layby by start of track/bridleway along road signed to Fenn's & Whixall NNR from Northwood.

Walking trails

There are adders on the Moss and so it is essential to wear wellingtons or walking boots.

Access

Accessibility: Red

Entrance is through a wooden bridge and squeeze stile. This is a flat peat bog, so can be very wet and soft at times. On the peatbog proper (through the trees) there are some deep pools and very uneven ground.

Dogs

On a lead

Skylarks, pipits (possibly with cuckoo) curlew nesting. Dogs on leads between 1st March and 31st July.

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

May to August

About the reserve

If you like big spiders this is the place for you! Here in this gorgeous peat bog lives the great raft spider, a six-inch monster that walks across water in search of prey. This is as ancient a piece of wilderness as you will find in Shropshire, a miraculous relic circled with trees beyond which the modern world gets on with intensive agricultural production.

Wem Moss is an outstanding example of a lowland raised bog, a wildlife habitat that exists in Britain today in just tiny remnant fragments. Ninety-four per cent of its former range has been destroyed or degraded by drainage, intensive peat cutting, grazing, forestry and pollution, leaving just 503 hectares of unspoilt raised bog in England.

All three British species of sundew – fascinating carnivorous plants – are found here, along with the starry golden spikes of bog asphodel, the fragrant bog myrtle and bog rosemary.

The Trust wages a continuous battle with encroaching bushes and trees, which, if left unchecked, consume millions of gallons of water, causing the bog to dry out.

Warning! There are adders on the Moss and so it is essential to wear wellingtons or walking boots. It’s rough walking and no place for a picnic!  

Getting to Wem Moss

Wem Moss lies between Wem and Ellesmere. Park in Northwood, and take the north-bound track from the eastern edge of the village. Walk down the track/bridleway. The track eventually bends sharp left running alongside woodland on the right. The entrance to the reserve is via a footbridge in the trees on the right before you reach an open field on the right.

Contact us

Location map

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