Really lovely morning, beautiful and full of a variety of birds as you would expect. We saw over 20 species including the famous kingfishers and wasn't very busy even on a Saturday. Only hope this reserve is well looked after following the rumoured exit of RSPB. £5 parking for non-members, free to enter.

A wonderful reserve that unfortunately will be soon leaving the care of the RSPB. The Kingfisher area is a special place to visit. I was born and raised 5miles or so from this reserve and didn't visit until this, my 59th year. What a gem. Make sure you get down before it shuts.

First time visiting the nature reserve and had a great time observing the various birds from the well maintained hides.

Lovely place to visit especially on a sunny morning. The lady at the visitor centre was great with tips on what's been spotted and where. The kingfisher hide was pretty busy, but the bird enthusiasts were very welcoming and shuffled to make a space on a bench. Managed to capture some amorous kingfishers. Will return.

A great family fun day out for free (or I should better say for a donation the amount of which you feel is appropriate). Went there on Sunday just gone (27-07-2025). The facilities on site are clean, noteworthy is that there is a baby changing station right at the entrance (which is where the only toilets are located anyway). We were pleased to see that there were binoculars for hire. Our favorite hide was the Kingfisher - it is clear it's the newest, has a lovely wooden carving of a kingfisher to the front (a photo op spot for sure) and is very easily accessible via a sturdy ramp. Having said that, all the hides we visited were accessible via a ramp. Speaking about accessibility, the car parking situation was a bit of a nuisance - as there was a night heron sighted the parking was full (despite the £5.00 fee required to park at RSPB Rye Meads) so we had to park a bit further away (at the Rye House Car Park) and walk to RSPB Rye Meads. On the plus side, at least the Rye House Car Park was free of charge. The paths inside RSPB Rye Meads are wheelchair and buggy friendly, however, all paths are all some sort of gravel, so if you are precious about your pushchair, you better not go. We, however, felt all paths were very reasonably maintained for a nature reserve and completely walkable with the pram / stroller. The members of staff / volunteers we met and spoke to on the day were all lovely (and they even assisted us in locating a lost item, which was highly appreciated). Overall, this was a great place to visit and definitely worthy of being on your Hertfordshire itinerary list.