Car parking charges will be introduced at the Purfleet Visitor Centre for RSPB Rainham Marshes from Monday 8 January 2024. Parking will remain free for RSPB members and Blue Badge holders. There will also no longer be a charge to enter the reserve itself. Find out all you need to know in this blog.
Located on the Thames Estuary, RSPB Rainham Marshes is a haven for both people and wildlife, such as Marsh Harriers and nationally rare Water Voles. As a charity, the additional income that will be generated from parking charges will allow us to continue to look after the reserve and its wildlife, carry out vital conservation work and maintain and improve the facilities for all visitors.
The price to park at the Purfleet Visitor Centre car park from Monday 8 January 2024 will be:
The prices listed above may be subject to change over time, so please check the information boards in the car park.
If visiting the reserve for an event, some tickets will already include car parking charges while others may not. Please check the event information when booking.
Payment for parking is made through a downloadable mobile app ‘Pay by Phone’ – please follow the instructions on the sign in the car park outside the visitor centre.
For visitors unable to download the app, there are options to pay via the website paybyphone.co.uk, by text or by calling a customer service line and paying over the phone.
From Monday 8 January 2024, entry to the Rainham Marshes reserve and nature trails will be free for everyone. Once you have paid for parking, you are welcome to explore the trails and bird hides on the reserve, the visitor centre facilities (café, shop and toilets), children’s play area and the sea wall walk. There is no charge for visitors arriving via public transport.
Image: Hide and marshland, RSPB Rainham Marshes Nature Reserve, Essex. © Sam Turley (rspb-images.com)
Please note that there is no overnight car parking permitted at the Purfleet Visitor Centre car park. The car park closes at 5pm in the summer and 4pm in the winter. It is not possible to park overnight, so we kindly ask you to move your vehicle before closing time.
Dogs are welcome along the sea wall walk, however only assistance dogs on a lead are permitted within the nature reserve itself. Car parking charges still apply for those visiting with their dog to take the sea wall walk when using the Purfleet car park, unless RSPB members in which case parking is free.
We kindly ask that when visiting the reserve you only park in the designated parking spaces in the main car park. For safety reasons, there are no parking spaces available along the driveway, so please do not park in the designated passing spaces that allow a safe flow of traffic along the driveway.
Thank you for supporting RSPB Rainham Marshes. The income generated from car parking charges will allow us to continue to carry out the vital conservation work that makes the reserve such a special home for nature.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email rainham.marshes@rspb.org.uk Thank you.
Main image: Visitor centre at RSPB Rainham Marshes Nature Reserve, Essex. © Sam Turley (rspb-images.com)