Places to visit in Lincolnshire; Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve

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Talking a walk on the wild side in Skegness, Lincolnshire

Gibraltar Point is a quiet nature reserve consisting of a section of beach, wash, dunes and saltmarsh owned by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

Fact file

Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve, Skegness, PE23 4SU

The reserve is open all the time, the car park shuts at dusk.

Car parking is £5 for a day but the reserve is free to enter.

There is a visitor’s centre which has varying opening times throughout the year

The paths, cafe and toilets all seemed fairly accessible although there are some rough paths and slopes. There is also stairs at the visitor’s centre.

How to find magic there 

You can find the magic in the fact that no matter how busy this expansive beach and reserve will always give you a chance to find space. As well as a remarkable chance to see the wildlife, air, land and sea, of this country up close!

As far as I can see no movies on my radar have been filmed here but some movies have been filmed in Skegness according to IMDB.

What is there at Gibraltar Point

At the time of our visit Gibraltar Point had

• various paths you could walk over saltmarsh or sand.
• a visitors centre with cafe which seemed fairly accessible
• toilets on ground level
• two car parks (one next to the visitors centre and one a walk away with no facilities)

How to get to Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve

Gibraltar Point is accessed through the centre of Skegness and then down a quiet country road. Once there you can either take the first turning to North car park or continue on to the visitors centre at the end like we did.

Unfortunately there is only way to access the reserve which means you must go through Skegness.

In January the visitor centre was operating winter hours so closed on Mondays but open 10-3 the rest of the week. Be sure to check online before you visit for up to date hours.

Where to park at Gibraltar Point

We visited on a Sunday, arriving at 10.30. The car park is £2 for 2 hours or £5 for the day. We paid for 2 hours but could have easily stayed for more.

Top tip

You can get a joint pass for unlimited annual carparking for Gibraltar point and Snipe Dales online for £15-worth it if you are local or plan on visiting multiple times (plus that way you don’t need to remember cash for the machine!)

I definitely recommend arriving early as by the time we were leaving at 12.30 the car park was getting full even on a cold January day!

Where to walk on the reserve

From the visitors centre you can walk up to a viewpoint on the wash or head back to the car park for various walks through the reserve and to the beach!

There are various walks which have multiple circular options. Check out the maps as you go for the best routes. Depending on how far you want to walk you can walk between the two car parks, the saltmarshes, various pond habitats and the bird observatory!

If you walk along the beach be sure to cast your eyes to the sea to see if you can spot seals! The further North towards Skegness you go the more likely you are to see them depending on the tides. When we visited the sea was right out so there was only one sandbank (covered in seals). However when the tide is in there are more sandbanks dotted along so you may be able to see more seals closer then.

Birdlife is flourishing in the area, by the the visitor centre you can see all the spots of the week including white tailed eagles in the week we visited! Spotting birds is more likely on the inland walks. As well as other creatures such as ponies which are part of the land management!

What can you see at Gibraltar Point?

Around the time of our visit you could see

• Seabirds
• White tailed eagles
• Seals (these were far out on a sand bank)
• Land management ponies

Are dogs welcome at Gibraltar Point?

Dogs must be kept on a short lead at all times.

No dogs permitted on the beach or foreshore between 1 April to 1 September.

Only guide dogs are permitted inside the Visitor Centre.

When we visited in winter, dogs were welcome everywhere including the beach as long as they were on a lead. During the summer (1st of April till 1st of September) dogs are not allowed on the beach. Our dogs loved their walk and actually seemed to really enjoy the beach (which they don’t normally care about) as it had some lovely sploshy streams and stinky seaweed! We definitely plan to take them again soon!

What to bring to Gibralatar Point?

Coats and warm clothing (if visiting on cooler days)

We visited in January 2022 on a chilly day. Coats were definitely required as there is a large exposed beach which the wind whips over in traditional Lincolnshire style.

Good walking shoes

You can walk for hours, if you want, on some difficult terrain so be sure to bring good shoes.

Dog leads and poo bags

If bringing dogs be sure to remember their leads which they must stay on, as well as dog poo bags! Towels are probably a good idea too!

If you want to see more from our visit I’ve created a separate photo gallery full of amazing snaps from the day.