Cliffe has 75 ha of grassland on in-filled lagoons. The RSPB manages this habitat for the benefit of its breeding lapwings and redshanks, and important invertebrates such as the shrill and brown-banded carder bee. There is also 5 ha of dense scrub, which nightingales and roosting long-eared owls particularly enjoy.
Cliffe Pools is a remote and beautiful landscape with open horizons, the ideal destination for long summer walks and for watching spectacular numbers of wintering waders.
A number of trails of varying lengths afford great views over the pools, the wildlife, and the River Thames running alongside.