The Raven Nature Reserve

The Raven Nature Reserve
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About

A pine-planted sand spit at the mouth of Wexford Harbour, The Raven combines a near-7km woodland loop trail, native red squirrels and a wild golden beach in one free coastal reserve.

Things to Do

Walk the Raven Loop Trail

A compacted-stone loop of just under 7km (6.94km) runs through the pines between Curracloe beach and the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve's slob lands. It has minimal gradient, is marked with red waymarking arrows and has seating along the way.

Walk the Raven Loop Trail

Look for red squirrels and pine martens

The Corsican pines are a stronghold for native red squirrels, which prefer pine cones to acorns; grey squirrels have not colonised the Raven, possibly because of its resident pine marten. Common lizard, 25 butterfly species and the Ivy Mining Bee have also been recorded.

Birdwatch the geese and waders

The reserve is internationally important for birds: around 35% of the world population of Greenland White-fronted Geese winter in the area, roosting by night on the sand bar at the southern tip. Waders roost here year-round and Little Terns nest on the shell-sand beaches.

Walk out to Raven Point Beach and the dunes

Paths lead from the woods onto Raven Point Beach, a long, quiet stretch of golden sand at the north edge of Wexford Harbour. Behind it lie grassy dunes rich in wild flowers, including the Round-leaved Wintergreen found in Ireland only on this site.

Plan Your Visit

  • Hours: Open daily, Monday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm.
  • Admission: Free — no admission charge.
  • Parking: Parking at the entrance to the woods plus a County Council car park; both can fill at peak times. The trail-head car park at the north of the forest holds around 50 cars.

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