Wybunbury Moss NNR is situated in south Cheshire, at the centre of the ‘Meres and Mosses’ Natural Area, where it forms part of a series of peat bogs or ‘Mosses’. Main habitats: peatland Features of interest Ice movement and erosion in the last Ice Age scraped a series of depressions in the landscape. Subsequent subsidence of the rocks underlying the peat-filled basin has left a raft of peat floating on an underground lake, one of only 3 known examples in the UK known to have formed in this way. The peat raft is carpeted in sphagnum moss, along with cotton sedge, cranberry, bog rosemary, white-beaked sedge and the insect-eating sundew. The Moss is also important for its invertebrate populations for which it is one of the most notable sites in Cheshire. A huge species list includes 2 rare spiders and a leaf beetle - Cryptocephalus decemmaculatus - which is not found anywhere else in England. The peat raft is surrounded by reed swamp, woodland and meadows where marsh violet and heath-spotted orchid can be found. See the site visitor leaflet for more details. Safety You can’t access the central part of the Moss which is very dangerous due to soft, unstable peat. There are, however, public rights of way which circle the reserve and a concessionary path which crosses part of the peat body. Directions The reserve is located 4 miles south of Crewe, near to the village of Wybunbury. The nearest train stations are in Nantwich and Crewe. Bus services connect Wybunbury with Nantwich and Crewe. See the Traveline North West website for details. Access to the reserve is via minor roads from the M6 and the A500. Public footpaths circle the reserve. These can be accessed from the churchyard surrounding the old church tower. Contact Telephone: 0300 060 6000