Tuesday 22nd August 2023

Having never been to a wetlands centre before, I was looking forward to what was on offer for a summer day out. The WWT, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, are a charity that works to look after and preserve our natural wetland habitats for birds and other residents in England and Wales. 

Entry and Accessibility

Upon arriving at the centre, the car park was quite large and easily accessible, with a handy toilet block available before entering the centre. We noticed some coaches in the car park, which made us think about the narrow journey they would have to navigate. The drive from the lovely village of Slimbridge to the wetlands centre is through narrow country roads, which can get busy during popular times. Heading into the visitor centre, we were met by the reception staff who were very friendly and helpful. They offered us assistance with accessibility for our mobility scooter and gave us some points of interest to get us started. We were able to navigate around the wetlands with their really useful accessibility map, although nearly all the paths were wheelchair/pushchair friendly. However, I was impressed with how other disability challenges were considered on their accessibility maps and information leaflet we were given. I also picked up the leaflet for the current WWT Slimbridge spring/summer collaboration with children’s illustrator (and one of my favourites) Quentin Blake, called ‘Drawn to Water’. I absolutely adore Quentin Blake’s artwork, and having his illustrations to guide us around the wetlands was a beautiful addition to our day. 

Feeding the Birds

We spent the day taking a slow wander around Slimbridge Wetland Centre, admiring the residents and learning about their conservation programmes. Our first stop was through Swan Lake where we could walk among the ducks and swans and feed them. Some of the ducks were very tame and happy to eat bird feed straight out of our hands. We thoroughly enjoyed feeding the ducks as it gave us so much opportunity to see them up close and test our knowledge at identifying different species and sexes. Bird food was readily available from the onsite shop (which we were advised about upon arrival).

Bird Spotting

As we headed around the wetlands, we passed by the flamingo lagoon. I was thrilled to see so many of these beautiful elegant pink birds enjoying the water. I didn’t think birds would want to be so close to us humans, but I was pleasantly surprised at how many were quite happy to be in such close proximity. We headed to the lookout on the south lake and were able to spot two Cranes on the opposite bank. The vastness of the lake was tranquil in itself, but add to it some residents enjoying the gentle water and bright sunshine made for a very relaxing environment to watch and enjoy. We also ventured a walk to Kingfisher hide to see what else we could spot. Armed with binoculars, we saw some herons on the wetlands as well as cows in a neighbouring field. Sadly, the elusive Kingfisher remained out of sight but we enjoyed meeting some enthusiastic bird watchers who delighted us in sharing their spotting stories and helping with identifications.

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At Slimbridge Wetlands Centre I was really impressed with an area dedicated to the conservation and education of the Nēnē or Hawaiian Goose. The area was staged out to highlight the challenges the nēnē are facing with roads and highways, as well as golf courses and other man-made dangers. I found this area really engaging as I was learning about the nēnē bird and the work organisations like WWT were doing to help this endangered species.

Visitors Centre

After a lovely day out in the sunshine, birdwatching on an incredible scale, we headed indoors to Toad Hall and the gift shop. Toad Hall was dedicated to the other residents of the wetlands, with lots of species of toads, frogs and other water-living beings to spot and learn about.

There was plenty of information available and lots of engaging material throughout the whole centre. The staff appeared friendly and keen to help anyone who required it. Although it was August, the centre did not feel busy or overcrowded anywhere. Some of the children’s play areas were busier, but walking around the wetlands areas all day did not feel like there were big crowds of people everywhere. The day was very relaxed and enjoyable and there appeared to be a lot of effort to engage children and younger guests with the wetlands and their residents. Having sunny weather benefited the day greatly as everyone was spread around the grounds. There were toilets and hand washing facilities dotted around the wetlands, but on a hot day I was disappointed to find the water fountains were not working and the vending machines were only serving hot drinks and snacks. Although the coffee was good from the machine, I was getting desperate to fill up my water bottle, being so far from the car park.

I am so glad to have visited WWT Slimbridge. It was a beautiful and relaxing day out, with plenty to engage with and learn about. But if you just want to go somewhere to see what birds you can spot, this place definitely doesn’t disappoint