West Yorkshire's first national nature reserve, linking moorland, woodland and wetland around Bradford.
Bradford Pennine Gateway
Bradford Pennine Gateway is a national nature reserve in West Yorkshire, England, set in the landscape that surrounds the city of Bradford. Designated in 2025, it groups eight sites across more than a thousand hectares of northern and western Bradford, including areas near Haworth, Harden, Bingley, Baildon, Shipley, Burley in Wharfedale, Stanbury and Ilkley. The reserve brings together fragments of Pennine moorland, gritstone outcrops, woodland, wetland and peat bog into a single protected area within easy reach of one of England's most urbanised districts.
The reserve was created as part of King Charles III's King's Series of national nature reserves, a programme intended to expand protected wildlife habitat across England. Its establishment reflects a recognition that Bradford, despite its population, sits within reach of distinctive Pennine landscapes and that these habitats have been historically under-protected. A large share of the reserve is newly designated, strengthening its role as both a conservation asset and a place for public access.
Bradford Pennine Gateway is notable for combining open moorland, river valleys and bogland habitats in one reserve. It supports species such as adders, short-eared owls, golden plovers and curlews, and includes features such as the post-glacial wetland of Bingley North Bog. As the first national nature reserve in West Yorkshire, it represents a significant expansion of formal nature protection in the region.