About the UK Drone Map
The UK Drone Map is a free planning tool for drone pilots. It brings together, on one map, the things that decide whether you can safely and legally take off: protected wildlife sites, airspace restrictions, land where launching is banned, and the current flying weather.
What the map shows
- Over 7,000 protected wildlife sites - Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in England, Scotland and Wales, and Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs) in Northern Ireland - colour-coded by the wildlife risk a drone poses: birds and other protected animals, flying insects, or low risk.
- Airspace restrictions from NATS aeronautical data: flight restriction zones around airports, danger areas and restricted airspace, updated on the 28-day AIRAC cycle.
- No take-off land - National Trust and National Trust for Scotland property, where byelaws prohibit launching or landing a drone without permission.
- Bird sites - Special Protection Areas and Ramsar wetlands, which often extend over estuaries and open water beyond SSSI boundaries.
- Live flight conditions - wind, gusts, cloud and rain for wherever you are checking.
Can I fly my drone over an SSSI?
Usually yes - an SSSI designation restricts what happens on the land, not the airspace above it. But recklessly disturbing protected wildlife is a criminal offence, and drones are a known disturbance risk to birds in particular. This map shows you which sites have sensitive wildlife so you can keep clear of flocks, nesting areas and roosts, or choose somewhere safer to fly.
Can I take off from National Trust land?
No - not without written permission. A landowner controls the land, not the sky: National Trust byelaws stop you launching or landing on their property, but they cannot stop you overflying it from a lawful take-off point elsewhere. Airspace is regulated separately by the CAA.
Where the data comes from
Boundaries and wildlife information come from the official agencies - Natural England, NatureScot, Natural Resources Wales and DAERA - refreshed automatically every day. Airspace data comes from NATS. Weather comes from Open-Meteo. All of it is published under the Open Government Licence.
Welsh notified feature data comes from the SSSI Review Data Archive, supplied by Natural Resources Wales. Contains Natural Resources Wales information © Natural Resources Wales and database right. All rights reserved.
This map is an aid to planning, not a substitute for official sources. Always verify with the relevant authority and check NOTAMs before flying.