Filsham Reedbed

A large reedbed with ditches and lagoons, set in a river valley floodplain

One of the largest reedbeds in Sussex, Filsham Reedbed sits at the southern end of the Combe Haven Valley, the green space between Bexhill and Hastings. The valley contains a range of wetland habitats and is an important resource for water and flood storage. Much of the valley is grazing marsh, but reed, reed-fen, and swamp communities are all present as well as areas of ancient woodland. This variety of habitats in turn supports a wide range of plant, invertebrate and bird life.

Owned by Hastings Borough Council and designated a Local Nature Reserve by them, Filsham Reedbed has been managed by Sussex Wildlife Trust since the mid 1970s. It is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, along with the rest of the valley, designated for the range of habitats it supports, in particular the alluvial meadows and fen, but also for the dragonfly fauna and bird assemblage. The reedbed would originally have been grazing meadows as is still present further up the valley. However, with the cessation of grazing, reed already present within the ditches was allowed to spread and the reedbed we see today developed quite naturally in just a few decades. Today we maintain this balance of habitats to provide optimum conditions for a wide range of species.

Restoration works 

Autumn 2024 - We have undertaken some restoration work on the reedbeds at Filsham to improve the diversity of the reed beds and associated ditches. More information here 

Filsham Reedbed Nature Reserve is free to visit, but we are only able to care for Filsham Reedbed with the support we receive from our members. Please consider becoming a member today.

Postcode:
TN38 8DY
Grid ref:
TQ775088 or TQ780096
Reserve size:
19 hectares

In this section

Reserve profile

Dogs

What you might see

Getting around

Grazing

News

Be tick aware

Be tick aware

10 March 2026

With spring around the corner it is a good time to brush up on your knowledge of ticks, where they live and what sensible precautions you can take.

Read more
Time Δ Debug Message - Perch Runway 3.2
1792176933.58280 [907] SELECT p.pagePath, pr.routePattern, pr.routeRegExp, p.pageTemplate, pr.routeOrder, s.settingValue AS siteOffline FROM swt_pages_staging p LEFT JOIN swt_page_routes pr ON p.pageID=pr.pageID LEFT JOIN swt_settings s ON s.settingID='siteOffline' UNION SELECT NULL AS pagePath, pr2.routePattern, pr2.routeRegExp, pr2.templatePath AS pageTemplate, pr2.routeOrder, NULL AS siteOffline FROM swt_page_routes pr2 WHERE templateID!=0 ORDER BY routeOrder ASC, pagePath ASC
1792176933.61870.0359Matched page: /visit/filsham-reedbed, so not using routes.
1792176933.61890.0002Server address: 216.73.217.113
1792176933.61890Using master page: /templates/pages/reserve.php
1792176933.61920.0002 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/visit/filsham-reedbed' LIMIT 1
1792176933.62030.0011 [86] SELECT DISTINCT settingID, settingValue FROM swt_settings WHERE userID=0
1792176933.62230.0021 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_shop_cart WHERE cartID=25083631
1792176933.62330.0009 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_shop_cart WHERE cartID=25083631
1792176933.62410.0008 [nil] SELECT * FROM swt_shop_sales WHERE saleFrom<='2026-10-16 18:55:00' AND saleTo>'2026-10-16 18:55:00' AND saleActive=1 AND saleDeleted IS NULL ORDER BY saleOrder ASC
1792176933.62540.0013Using template: /templates/pages/attributes/hub.html
1792176933.62550.0001Using sub-template: /templates/pages/attributes/default.html
1792176933.62580.0003 [1] SELECT regionID, regionTemplate, regionPage, regionRev AS rev FROM swt_content_regions WHERE regionKey='Reserve details' AND (regionPage='/visit/filsham-reedbed' OR regionPage='*')
1792176933.62710.0013 [1] SELECT * FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, c.regionID, idx.pageID, c.itemJSON, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_content_index idx JOIN swt_content_items c ON idx.itemID=c.itemID AND idx.itemRev=c.itemRev AND idx.regionID=c.regionID JOIN swt_content_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemRev=idx2.itemRev AND idx2.indexKey='_order' WHERE ((idx.regionID=185 AND idx.itemRev=32)) AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemRev=idx2.itemRev ) as tbl GROUP BY itemID, pageID, itemJSON, sortval, regionID ORDER BY sortval ASC
1792176933.6380.0109 [1] Using template: /templates/content/reserve.html
1792176933.63820.0002Using sub-template: /templates/content/files.html
1792176933.63820.0001Using sub-template: /templates/content/mixed_content.html
1792176933.63830.0001Using sub-template: /templates/content/text_block.html
1792176933.63840Using sub-template: /templates/content/thumbnails.html
1792176933.63840Using sub-template: /templates/content/image.html
1792176933.63840Using sub-template: /templates/content/gallery.html
1792176933.63850Using sub-template: /templates/content/video.html
1792176933.63850.0001Using sub-template: /templates/content/ask_inline.html
1792176933.63860.0001Using sub-template: /templates/content/legacy_request_form.html
1792176933.63860Using sub-template: /templates/content/image.html
1792176933.63860Using sub-template: /templates/content/code_block.html
1792176933.63870Using sub-template: /templates/content/customisable_donate_form.html
1792176933.63870 [1] Using sub-template: /templates/content/contact_form.html
1792176933.63970.001Using sub-template: /templates/forms/details.html
1792176933.63980.0001Using sub-template: /templates/forms/_data_protection.html
1792176933.63980.0001Using sub-template: /templates/forms/_personal_details.html
1792176933.63990.0001Using sub-template: /templates/forms/_address.html
1792176933.63990Using sub-template: /templates/forms/_personal_details.html
1792176933.640Using sub-template: /templates/forms/_address.html
1792176933.640Using sub-template: /templates/forms/_data_protection.html
1792176933.64010Using sub-template: /templates/forms/_personal_details.html
1792176933.64010 [1] Using sub-template: /templates/forms/_data_protection.html
1792176933.64430.0042 [1] SELECT collectionID, collectionTemplate FROM swt_collections WHERE collectionKey='Opportunities'
1792176933.64550.0012 [1] SELECT * FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, ci.collectionID, ci.itemJSON, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_collection_index idx JOIN swt_collection_items ci ON idx.itemID=ci.itemID AND idx.itemRev=ci.itemRev AND idx.collectionID=ci.collectionID JOIN swt_collection_revisions cr ON idx.itemID=cr.itemID AND idx.itemRev=cr.itemRev AND idx.collectionID=ci.collectionID JOIN swt_collection_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemRev=idx2.itemRev AND idx2.indexKey='_order' WHERE (idx.collectionID=6) AND ((idx.indexKey='page_title' AND idx.indexValue='Filsham Reedbed')) AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemRev=idx2.itemRev ) as tbl GROUP BY itemID, itemJSON, sortval ORDER BY sortval ASC
1792176933.64890.0035 [1] Using template: /templates/content/_opportunity_listing.html
1792176933.64950.0006 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_gallery_albums WHERE albumSlug= 'filsham-reedbed'
1792176933.65040.0008 [250] SELECT country, countryID FROM swt_shop_countries WHERE countryActive=1 ORDER BY country ASC
1792176933.6520.0016Using template: /templates/pages/attributes/seo.html
1792176933.65230.0003 [1] SELECT regionID, regionTemplate, regionPage, regionRev AS rev FROM swt_content_regions WHERE regionKey='Banner image' AND (regionPage='/visit/filsham-reedbed' OR regionPage='*')
1792176933.65330.001 [1] SELECT * FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, c.regionID, idx.pageID, c.itemJSON, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_content_index idx JOIN swt_content_items c ON idx.itemID=c.itemID AND idx.itemRev=c.itemRev AND idx.regionID=c.regionID JOIN swt_content_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemRev=idx2.itemRev AND idx2.indexKey='_order' WHERE ((idx.regionID=184 AND idx.itemRev=3)) AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemRev=idx2.itemRev ) as tbl GROUP BY itemID, pageID, itemJSON, sortval, regionID ORDER BY sortval ASC
1792176933.65490.0016 [82] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageDepth >=0 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1792176933.65850.0036 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/visit/filsham-reedbed' LIMIT 1
1792176933.65940.0009 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-004-018', '000-004', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1792176933.66250.0031Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template.html
1792176933.66250.0001 [6] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1792176933.66340.0009 [4] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1792176933.6640.0006 [29] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1792176933.66720.0032 [10] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1792176933.66840.0012 [7] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1792176933.66920.0008 [9] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1792176933.6720.0028 [2] SELECT regionKey, regionHTML FROM swt_content_regions WHERE regionPage='/visit/filsham-reedbed' OR regionPage='*' ORDER BY regionPage DESC
1792176933.67370.0017 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/visit/filsham-reedbed' OR pageSortPath='/visit/filsham-reedbed' LIMIT 1
1792176933.67470.0011 [2] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageHidden=0 AND pageNew=0 AND pageTreePosition IN ('000-004-018', '000-004', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition
1792176933.67820.0034 [2] Using template: /templates/navigation/breadcrumbs.html
1792176933.67870.0005 [1] SELECT * FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, c.regionID, idx.pageID, c.itemJSON, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_content_index idx JOIN swt_content_items c ON idx.itemID=c.itemID AND idx.itemRev=c.itemRev AND idx.regionID=c.regionID JOIN swt_content_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemRev=idx2.itemRev AND idx2.indexKey='_order' WHERE ((idx.regionID=185 AND idx.itemRev=32)) AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemRev=idx2.itemRev ) as tbl GROUP BY itemID, pageID, itemJSON, sortval, regionID ORDER BY sortval ASC
1792176933.69020.0116 [1] Using template: /templates/content/_reserve_details.html
1792176933.69090.0006 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/visit/filsham-reedbed' OR pageSortPath='/visit/filsham-reedbed' LIMIT 1
1792176933.69190.0011 [2] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-004-018%' ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1792176933.69440.0025 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/visit/filsham-reedbed' LIMIT 1
1792176933.69530.001 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-004-018', '000-004', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1792176933.69820.0029 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_sections WHERE sectionSlug='blog/nature-reserves-2/filsham-reedbed/' LIMIT 1
1792176933.69920.001 [nil] SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS DISTINCT tbl.* FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, main.*, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_blog_index idx JOIN swt_blog_posts main ON idx.itemID=main.postID AND idx.itemKey='postID' JOIN swt_blog_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey='postID' AND idx2.indexKey='postDateTime' WHERE 1=1 AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey=idx2.itemKey GROUP BY idx.itemID, idx2.indexValue, postID ) as tbl WHERE ( sectionID IS NULL AND postStatus='Published' AND postDateTime<='2026-10-16 18:55:00' ) GROUP BY itemID, sortval ORDER BY sortval DESC LIMIT 0, 4
1792176933.70050.0013 [1] SELECT FOUND_ROWS() AS `count`
1792176933.70120.0007Using template: /templates/blog/post_excerpt_project.html
1792176933.70150.0003 [11] SELECT DISTINCT idx.itemID FROM swt_blog_index idx JOIN swt_blog_posts main ON idx.itemID=main.postID AND idx.itemKey='postID' AND ((idx.indexKey='_category' AND idx.indexValue LIKE 'blog/nature-reserves-2/filsham-reedbed%' OR idx.indexKey='_category' AND idx.indexValue='blog/nature-reserves-2/filsham-reedbed'))
1792176933.70350.002 [4] SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS DISTINCT tbl.* FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, main.*, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_blog_index idx JOIN swt_blog_posts main ON idx.itemID=main.postID AND idx.itemKey='postID' JOIN swt_blog_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey='postID' AND idx2.indexKey='postDateTime' AND idx.itemID IN ('1076', '895', '1281', '1456', '1193', '2198', '2553', '3240', '3534', '3775', '3863') WHERE 1=1 AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey=idx2.itemKey GROUP BY idx.itemID, idx2.indexValue, postID ) as tbl WHERE (postStatus='Published' AND postDateTime<='2026-10-16 18:55:00' ) GROUP BY itemID, sortval ORDER BY sortval DESC LIMIT 0, 4
1792176933.71710.0136 [1] SELECT FOUND_ROWS() AS `count`
1792176933.7180.0009 [4] Using template: /templates/blog/post_excerpt_project.html
1792176933.71840.0004 [13] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_sections ORDER BY sectionTitle ASC
1792176933.71940.001 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blogs ORDER BY blogTitle ASC
1792176933.72290.0036 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/what-we-do' OR pageSortPath='/what-we-do' LIMIT 1
1792176933.7240.0011 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-002' LIMIT 1
1792176933.72490.0009 [7] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-002%' AND pageDepth >=1 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1792176933.72780.0029 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/visit/filsham-reedbed' LIMIT 1
1792176933.72850.0008 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-004-018', '000-004', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1792176933.73140.0029 [6] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1792176933.73230.0009 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/make-a-difference' OR pageSortPath='/make-a-difference' LIMIT 1
1792176933.73310.0008 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-005' LIMIT 1
1792176933.73380.0007 [38] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-005%' ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1792176933.73710.0033 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/visit/filsham-reedbed' LIMIT 1
1792176933.7380.0009 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-004-018', '000-004', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1792176933.74040.0024 [10] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1792176933.74350.0031 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/visit' OR pageSortPath='/visit' LIMIT 1
1792176933.74450.001 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-004' LIMIT 1
1792176933.74540.0009 [30] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-004%' AND pageDepth >=1 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1792176933.74920.0038 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/visit/filsham-reedbed' LIMIT 1
1792176933.75010.0009 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-004-018', '000-004', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1792176933.75290.0028 [29] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1792176933.75550.0025 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/make-a-difference' OR pageSortPath='/make-a-difference' LIMIT 1
1792176933.75630.0009 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-005' LIMIT 1
1792176933.7570.0006 [11] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-005%' AND pageDepth >=1 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1792176933.75970.0027 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/visit/filsham-reedbed' LIMIT 1
1792176933.76050.0008 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-004-018', '000-004', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1792176933.7630.0025 [10] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1792176933.76430.0013Request time: 0.1827
1792176933.76440Process time: 0.1825
1792176933.76440Memory: 1.7719