Situated near Rufford, Lancashire,[1] the reserve comprises lakes, mature broadleaved and conifer woodland, sandy, wet meadows and heaths,[2] standing on layers of sand and peat, deposited over boulder clay during the last ice age.

[2] It covers 105 acres (42 ha), and includes a visitors centre, two nature trails, six wildlife hides, and one viewing platform.

There are also regular sightings of roe deer, stoats and foxes,[2] a total of 17 species of mammals within the area[3] including a small population of red squirrels.

[1] The woodland consists mainly of birch and oak trees with a Scots Pine plantation, where the red squirrels reside.

Between Anglo-saxon times and the late 1800s, the area included a fishery which stocked eels as well as fresh water fish.