East Usk Lighthouse

Newport Wetlands is a wildlife reserve on the northern shore of the Severn Estuary, south-east of Newport in South Wales. It covers 437 hectares of low-lying land that includes reclaimed fuel ash sites and flooded farmland. The reserve was created in 2000 to replace habitats lost when the Cardiff Bay Barrage scheme was built. In April 2008 it became a national nature reserve and was featured on BBC’s Countryfile in January 2024. The site is owned and managed by Natural Resources Wales, with help from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Newport City Council. The reserve attracts breeding birds such as lapwing, redshank and bittern, and rare visitors like avocet. Two pairs of bittern bred here in 2020, the first time in south Wales for more than two centuries. Goldcliff Lagoons at the eastern end is the only place in south Wales where avocet raise their young. The reserve also offers a six-kilometre circular route around its edge, passing the East Usk Lighthouse and a bird hide overlooking lagoon R9. A floating walkway leads directly to the lighthouse over lagoon R7. Nearby is a bird hide with views across lagoon R9 and a fenced overpass for watching lagoon R4. A woodland trail climbs to farmland and then returns via lagoon R8 to the estuary path. The main trail ends facing the Severn Estuary where the East Usk Lighthouse stands beside the Wales Coast Path.