Wildlife & Nature at Reddings Retreat

Where Every Stay Comes with a View

From dawn birdsong to deer at dusk, Reddings Retreat is alive with wildlife in every season. Set in the Wye Valley — a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), celebrated for its protected landscapes, rich wildlife, and breath-taking views — our peaceful farm offers a front‑row seat to nature.

Step outside your shepherds hut or guest suite and you might hear the soft call of a tawny owl, see butterflies drifting over wildflowers, or watch mist lifting from the fields at sunrise. Whether you’re here with friends, part of a walking group, a keen birder, or simply someone who loves to pause and watch the world go by, this is a place to slow down and connect with the land.

🎧 Watch a video of the morning dawn chorus taken at Reddings Retreat as the mist rises up from the River Wye: Reddings Retreat Dawn Chorus video on Instagram

Wildlife Highlights for Every Guest

 

  • Bird Watchers: Spot over 40 species from your door in a single visit and more than 100 species across the year in the lower Wye Valley .

  • Walkers: Direct access to footpaths and the Wye Valley Walk.

  • Groups: Book both huts + guest suite for up to 8 guests.

  • Photographers: Ever‑changing light, seasonal colour, and wildlife on your doorstep.

 

Habitats & Special Features

Reddings Retreat sits in the heart of the Wye Valley AONB — one of the UK’s most diverse landscapes. Within a short walk from your door, you’ll find a mosaic of habitats that make this area so rich in wildlife:

  • Ancient Woodland — carpeted with bluebells in spring, alive with birdsong, and home to rare butterflies, bats, and woodland flowers.

  • Wildflower Meadows — buzzing with pollinators in summer and dotted with orchids in the right season.

  • Hedgerows & Field Margins — natural corridors for birds, small mammals, and autumn berries.

  • Riverside & Wetland — the River Wye and nearby ponds attract herons, otters, and seasonal waterfowl.

  • Limestone Cliffs & Rocky Outcrops — nesting sites for peregrines and ravens, with sweeping valley views.

  • Trees & Woodland Plants — oak, ash, beech, silver birch, rowan, hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, willow, alder, sycamore, horse chestnut, holly, elder, and field maple.

  • Fruit Trees, Bushes & Wild Forage — apples, pears, plums, blackberries, elderberries, rosehips, hazelnuts, acorns, and conkers providing food for both wildlife and guests to enjoy.

These varied habitats mean that whether you’re here for a weekend or a week, there’s always something new to see — from the flash of a woodpecker to the rustle of deer in the paddock.

Beyond the Retreat — Wildlife Within 10 Minutes

The surrounding Wye Valley and Royal Forest of Dean offer even more opportunities for keen wildlife watchers. Within a short walk or drive, you might spot:

  • Waterfowl: Bar‑headed goose, greylag goose, pink‑footed goose, barnacle goose, northern shoveler, gadwall, tufted duck.

  • Grebes: Little grebe.

  • Gulls, Terns & Skimmers: Great black‑backed gull, black‑headed gull, Mediterranean gull, herring gull, sandwich tern, great‑tailed godwit.

  • Shorebirds: Black‑winged stilt, Eurasian oystercatcher (unconfirmed), little ringed plover, black‑tailed godwit.

In summer, the River Wye near Monmouth is one of the best places in the UK to see the rare common clubtail dragonfly (May–July), as well as the striking banded and beautiful demoiselles dancing over the water.

Seasonal Highlights

Spring: Bluebells in the woodland, chiffchaffs calling, deer with new fawns.

Summer: Dragonflies over the pond, swallows nesting, butterflies in the meadow, wild orchids blooming in sunny glades.

Autumn: Fallow deer rutting, flocks of redwings and fieldfares, golden leaves, fungi emerging on woodland walks.

Winter: Peregrines hunting along the cliffs, robins singing, frosty mornings.

Special Evenings: On warm summer nights, watch bats swoop and dart above the paddocks as they hunt for insects.

🎧 Watch: Morning dawn chorus at Reddings Retreat as the mist rises from the River Wye — View on Instagram

🦌 Watch: Fallow deer wandering along the drive at night — View on Instagram

Bats flying over the paddock at dusk catching insects. Photo shared by guest Hannah R.

Start Your Own Wildlife Story

There’s no better way to experience the Wye Valley’s wild beauty than to see it for yourself. From the first notes of the dawn chorus to the quiet tread of deer along the drive at night, every stay at Reddings Retreat is a chance to add your own sightings to our Spotter’s Log.

Every entry began with someone pausing to notice — perhaps your stay will add the next one. If you capture a special moment during your visit, share your photos with Charlotte and you could be featured on our website or Instagram.

This page is just a glimpse of the variety you might encounter — from red kites over the paddock to deer in the mist, orchids in bloom, and even Sammy the Seal at Chepstow’s riverside quay. Explore our Spotter’s Log for the complete record of birds, mammals, insects, wildflowers, trees, and seasonal forage spotted at Reddings Retreat.

At Reddings Retreat Tintern, we want every guest to enjoy a truly relaxing and tranquil experience — whether that’s watching wildlife from your accommodation or exploring the Wye Valley AONB.

Enquire & Book Your Stay and start your own wildlife adventure.