Countryside Management includes responsibility for the upkeep of the Wildgrounds Nature Reserve, Oxstall Meadow (Educational Enclosure), Alver Valley and Interpretation Centre.
The Reserve covers 60 acres and is open to the public from March to October inclusive. Controlled entry is by monthly permits with up to a maximum of 800 being available each year from 1st March to 31st October inclusive. In addition organised groups are given guided tours by the Countryside staff.
The Reserve is adjacent to the location of a reconstructed 17th Century Hamlet.
With the help of external funding over a period of 10 years major reedbed restoration works have been undertaken in the Alver Valley resulting in the area becoming of national importance as a habitat for wildlife.
