There's A Dead Man In The Field... (Slimbridge Wildfowl & Wetlands Centre)

Member Name: karenuk

Product:	Slimbridge Wildfowl & Wetlands Centre
Date:	28/06/01 (136 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: lots of birds to see, good educational centre, nice day out

Disadvantages: not enough shade, a bit boring if you're not a big bird fan, expensive restaurant

I went on a school trip on Monday. No, this is not a revelation declaring I am only twelve after all. I went as a parent helper.

Unfortunately, it was 31 degrees Celsius that day and I didn’t have enough drinks with me, so that might have clouded my experiences somewhat, but I will try to give a fair assessment of the place we visited.

The trip was to Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre. This is situated in the beautiful little village of Slimbridge, between Bristol and Gloucester.

There are nine such centres across Britain, the others being at Martin Mere (Lancashire), Arundel (West Sussex), Washington (Tyne and Wear), Caerlaverock (Dumfriesshire), Welney (Cambridgeshire), Castle Espie (Co. Down, N. Ireland), Llanelli (Dyfed) and Barnes, London.

The one at Slimbridge was founded by the artist and naturalist, Sir. Peter Scott in 1946. There is more than three hundred hectares of land, where thousands of birds live and visit. The main ones are ducks, geese, swans and flamingos.

Being quite unknowledgeable about birds, I took only a passing interest in the varieties there, but I am sure this would be paradise for ornithologists.

The children I went with were aged between four and six years old and found them fairly interesting, but soon preferred the play area!

Slimbridge is well set out, with plenty of nature walks, wide paths and easy access to everywhere. There were many disabled people there on the day we went, as well as families with buggies. Wheelchair access is excellent, with ramps in most areas where needed.

Initially, we had a short talk about the different types of birds, although this was rather dull and disappointing. Afterwards, we walked around outside looking at the birds. The children bought bags of grain for 50p each and loved feeding them, especially when some geese came and ate from their hands.

There are areas to eat outside, which we did. There are also
good toilet facilities and, as I previously mentioned, play areas for the children. We did find it hard to stay in the shade though and ended up staying inside for the last hour, as it was just too hot to be in the sun.

Indoors, there is an excellent educational centre, where children learn about the birds and aspects of conservation through play. These included a tunnel to run through, a ball pond, puzzles, things to press and a fairly large room done as a mock supermarket. In here, the kids can take a form and stamp it with different pictures, while learning about the Wetlands.

The shop is large and not too expensive, with fridge magnets and small beanie birds available for £1 each. It is best to take your own food and drink though, as the restaurant is rather pricey and even buying a carton of juice cost 70p. Other attractions include nature trails, hides, a cinema and the Wildlife Art Gallery.

We spent four hours there and that was enough for us, although I’m sure bird enthusiasts would happily spend longer there. I wouldn’t really suggest it is suitable for very young children, as there is a lot of water and little ones do get bored quite easily.

At the end of our day there, we waited for everyone to get back to the coach. We let the kids run round a field for a while and they came across to tell us there was a ‘dead man’ in the field. It turned out it was just a bloke having a nap.

One of the kids ran off with his book and the man ended up chasing him round – thankfully, taking it in the right spirit! I’m sure that was the highlight for those children, rather than the birds. Oh well.

So, if you want to go to Slimbridge, it is open daily from 9:30am to 5pm (4pm from November to March), except Christmas Day.

It cost us £4.50 each including the coach, but the admission prices are around £3.50 per adult.

Ring for more details on 01453-890333 or email sli
mbridge@wwt.org.uk or visit their website www.wwt.org.uk

Sorry, but I can’t guarantee a ‘dead man’ with each visit…

Summary: