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Route type: For all. This route is part of the Heritage Lottery Funded Bassenthwaite Reflections programme and is partly made up of recycled plastic boardwalk OS Explorer Map OL4
Distance: 2.5 km or 1.6 miles circuit
Start and end point: Minor road north of Pheasant Inn - grid ref. NY 198309
Facilities: None on route but refreshments and customer toilets at Pheasant Inn
Getting there: Bus: X5 stops just outside Dubwath village but to get to the reserve you then have to cross the busy A66 (with no dropped kerb available) - there is a bus stop near the entrance to the reserve. Car: A66 and follow signs for the Pheasant Inn. The route starts 200 metres north of the inn. Informal parking is available by the road side.
Bassenthwaite Reflections has established the Lake District's first wetlands nature reserve at Dubwath Silver Meadows. The 7.15 hectare site at the northern end of Bassenthwaite Lake is a wildlife haven for nature lovers and bird watchers and an excellent example of 'fen' habitat.
Environmentally friendly and durable boardwalks - made from recycled plastic bottles - provide access for wheelchair and pushchair users and those with limited mobility.
Local stone paths are 900 metres long and link to 1500 metres of plastic boardwalk, providing access for all. Visitors can enjoy a tour of the wetland, with opportunities to stop at viewing points and innovative hides.
Built by volunteers using traditional methods, such as wattle and daub and willow weaving, the shelters are a special feature of the reserve. Growing willow structures have been constructed as viewing platforms for the unique flora and fauna, as well as providing a habitat themselves.
There is also a 200 metre path at Ouse Bridge, giving limited mobility access to Bassenthwaite lakeshore. Take the B5291 north for 1 km to a car park (grid reference NY 200321).
