Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve is a large wetland reserve covering over 500ha at the heartof the Somerset Levels and Moors. With views of Glastonbury Tor and a part of an area known as theAvalon Marshes, Shapwick Heath NNR sits in a tranquil, atmospheric landscape of big skies andendless horizons. The reserve has a wide variety of habitats including traditionally grazed flower richmeadows, primordial fern filled woodlands, fens and wide expanses of open water set amongst largereed beds. It is home to many species including Otters, Marsh Harriers, Bitterns, and Great WhiteEgrets and in the winter months, huge flocks of starlings arrive to roost, filling the sky. The site is amonument to the history and culture of Neolithic man who made Somerset their home over 6000years ago, with large parts of the Neolithic Sweet Track, one of the oldest man-made route-ways inBritain, still existing beneath the peat on the reserve.
