RSPB Rainham Marshes

What a lovely afternoon I had with my parents and made all the better by the lovely, friendly, helpful volunteers and staff. My Dad is currently walking on crutches following a recent hip replacement. We were just planning to have lunch in the cafe and view the birds and wildlife from there. The centre's wheelchair, however, was available (they also have a motorised buggy but this was being used) so I was able to wheel my Dad the whole way round the reserve in the lovely sunshine. We had such a lovely afternoon which well exceeded our expectations and made all the better for the kind-hearted and helpful volunteers and staff. Would definitely recommend a visit for people with mobility issues. Book ahead if you need the buggy.

We visited the RSPB reserve in a grim January day. Dispite the weather the welcoming at the cozy cafè & info point warmed us up. Great public service, helpful staff and beautiful view from the big window.
At the moment a part of the circular path is closed and some view points are being refurbished, but the main hides are open and inspiring, there's still a lot to see.

What a beautiful walk with so many fascinating birds spotted along the way. Stunning views with some hidden gems along the walk. You will read info boards and see the remains of military shooting practice sites and some areas where bombs were tested (really interesting stuff) and a great feel of the history behind it all too.

The cafe is nice to retreat to at the end of the walk and the staff are very knowledgeable about the area and what you can expect to see.

Bird lovers, I can't recommend this place enough.

Easy to get to from London, great birding spot and the staff are friendly and forthcoming with information on the bird life. It costs £6 for an adult non-member for the day.
There are plenty of bird hides along the walk and all of them are quite big, kept clean and have plenty of good information about what you might see. The site is Wheelchair friendly.

We did the main ring walk around the Marshes. It covered more than 5 kilometres! Enjoyed the walk thoroughly! I bought my own light weight binoculars at the RSPB shop. We met several serious birdwatchers who helped us to identify some birds we hadn't seen before! Every staff member was very helpful and had a good understanding about the birds came to the Marshes. Very interesting day!

This is probably the quietest place within the M25; or at least, your best chance of finding solitude within a dozen miles of central London.

The RSPB maintain a visitor centre with a café and loos at the Purfleet end: it has excellent explanatory material on the wildlife you can expect to see here, and the main riverside path has good information-boards and plaques with details of the local geography and history.

Check the opening times.

The main tarmac paths are well-maintained, but they are defended by narrow barriers which may be difficult for wheelchair users and bicycles with wide handlebars or panniers: I managed them, with some care, on an ordinary town bike.

Great walks with so much to see, meet other like minded people & the information centre are always happy to help or answer questions & the tea room is nice place to relax in the warm

Lovely walk with the family. Arriving was pretty straight forward and there
was loads of parking space including disabled spaces. Café on site with snacks and drinks, staff very friendly. Also toilet was clean. Walking was really nice and loads to see if you like wildlife or you can find a spot and seat and watch the world go by!