Top spots to see hares

One of the great sights of spring is the so-called ‘mad March hare’. These usually shy and reclusive creatures can be spotted ‘boxing’ in open fields throughout the mating season. Rather than competition between males, this behaviour is actually females fending off unwanted males.

Hare in Camp Ground at Charlecote Park
Charlecote Park   Warwickshire

Charlecote Park, Warwickshire

Head to the Camp Ground at Charlecote to see if you can spot the resident drove of hares. They might look like rabbits, but they’re much larger and faster - with their long back legs they can reach speeds of 45km per hour. Keep those binoculars handy during your visit – you can often see them from the parterre, particularly in the spring.

Spot Charlecote's resident hares
mountain hare sitting on snow, Dark Peak, Derbyshire
Kinder, Edale and the Dark Peak   Derbyshire

Dark Peak Moors, Derbyshire

The Dark Peak moors are a great spot for mountain hares. These are hardy creatures, adapted for the tough moorland conditions. They’re shy and nocturnal, so your best chance of spotting them is on an early morning walk or under a dusk sunset.

Visit Dark Peak
Hare among grass and thistles
Divis and the Black Mountain   County Antrim

Divis and the Black Mountain, County Down

Although populations in Northern Ireland have declined substantially in recent years, Irish hares can still be found at Black Mountain and Divis near Belfast, where the mix of rush pasture, meadows and heather make up a habitat that provides them food and cover all year round.

Visit Divis and the Black Mountain
Wildflowers add colour to grassland overlooking Beacon Hill and the sea
Durham Coast   County Durham

Durham Coast, County Durham

The Durham Coast boasts a wonderfully varied landscape, from coastal bays and headlands to grassland and wooded valleys. There’s plenty of wildlife to be found here, but spring is a particularly good time to spot hares. As mating season gets underway, these usually shy creatures are at their most visible – if you’re lucky you might spot them ‘boxing’ in fields and on woodland edges.

See hares boxing on the Durham Coast
Carving of a hare at Hare Hill
Hare Hill   Cheshire

Hare Hill, Cheshire

Whilst the garden may be called Hare Hill, the hares themselves are shy creatures. If you’re lucky you may spot one during your visit, but if not there are several carvings of hares for you to find throughout the garden.

Follow the trail of carvings at Hare Hill
Hare hiding in a nest of grass
Kedleston Hall   Derbyshire

Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire

The north side of the lake, known as the wilderness, is the most natural part of Kedleston's parkland. It’s the perfect place to spot birds such as owls and woodpeckers, and maybe even an elusive hare or two.

Explore Kedleston's wilderness
Hare lying in grass
Lyme   Cheshire

Lyme Park, Cheshire

The open spaces of Lyme Park are perfect hare-spotting territory during early spring. You can head up to The Cage, a hill-top hunting lodge with great views across the park, to see them ‘boxing’ and racing and chasing one another.

Visit Lyme
A mountain hare shelters in a burrow
Marsden Moor Estate   West Yorkshire

Marsden Moor, North Yorkshire

We care for over 5,500 acres of unenclosed moorland at Marsden. Although it can look bleak and inhospitable, the landscape harbours a vast diversity of birds, mammals and insects. If you’re very lucky you might spot one of the shy mountain hares that call the moor home.

Spot mountain hares on Marsden Moor
Hare on the roard at Orford Ness
Orford Ness National Nature Reserve   Suffolk

Orford Ness, Suffolk

Scattered across the Ness are the resident population of brown hares. Keep an eye on the vegetated ridges, and you may well spot a sudden lolloping movement as the one of them explores their surroundings. They’re even easier to spot in spring as the males and females take to ‘boxing’ at each other during courtship.

See resident hares on Orford Ness
A colourful sky overlooking Worm's Head, Rhossili
Rhossili and South Gower Coast   Swansea

Rhossili, Gower Peninsula

Our team have been working hard to restore the Vile - one of the UK’s few surviving medieval strip field farming systems. The project includes restoring field boundaries, which act as corridors for farmland wildlife and provide homes for invertebrates and birds. There’s plenty more wildlife to see here too – including hares.

Spot hares on the Gower
Sherborne Park Estate in Gloucestershire
Lodge Park and Sherborne Park Estate   Gloucestershire

Sherborne Park Estate, Gloucestershire

With woodland, open farm fields, ancient trees and the water meadows, there are a huge range of habitats for wildlife at the Sherborne Park Estate. Look out for raptors flying overhead, and if you’re lucky you might spot a hare in the quieter areas of the estate.

Look out for wildlife at Sherborne
Three leverets (baby hares) in a flowerbed at Tyntesfield
Tyntesfield   North Somerset

Tyntesfield, nr Bristol

The team at Tyntesfield take great care of habitats on the estate, which support a whole host of wildlife from bats to fungi. There are also hares living here, and in 2016 the team even found three leverets (baby hares) taking shelter in a flowerbed.

Look out for hares at Tyntesfield
A brown hare at Uppark, National trust

Uppark, West Sussex 

At Uppark we carefully manage our outdoors spaces to encourage wildlife to make their homes here. The grassland and woodland edges are the perfect habitats for native brown hares, who often come out in the mornings and at quieter times to feed. Visit in March or April and you might be lucky enough to spot these special creatures.

Look out for hares at Uppark
Headland at Aberdaron, Llyn Peninsula

Uwychmynydd, Llŷn Peninsula 

Uwchmynydd sits right at the south west tip of the Llŷn Peninsula, just beyond the picturesque village of Aberdaron. A walk around this rugged headland offers great views across to Bardsey Island, as well as the chance to spot porpoises, peregrines, choughs and hares.

Explore the Llŷn Peninsula
View over White Horse Hill, Uffington
White Horse Hill   Oxfordshire

White Horse Hill, Oxfordshire

White Horse Hill is rich with wildlife, and birds of prey such as red kites and kestrels are a common sight. If you’re lucky you might even spot one of the resident hares – they’re best seen in March when they begin competing for mates.

Spot wildlife at White Horse Hill
Hare eating grass, Orford Ness
Wimpole Estate   Cambridgeshire

Wimpole, Cambridgeshire

Wimpole has an abundant population of brown hares due to its mix of different grasslands, lots of arable land and woodland for shelter from predators and the elements. Why not pay a visit and see how many you can spot?

Visit Wimpole
Walkers at Ravenscar admire the view over Robin Hood's Bay
Yorkshire Coast   North Yorkshire

Yorkshire Coast

The Yorkshire wolds and coastline are a stronghold for brown hares in the north. They’re fairly shy creatures, but you can try to track them by looking out for tufts of fur caught in brambles and fences.

Visit the Yorkshire coast