Slimbridge Wetland Centre

It’s a while since we’ve been to The Wildfowl and Wetland Trust Slimbridge Wetland Centre, in fact this was Libby the last time we went. 

We decided that this was much too long ago, so we headed there today. Whilst it was really rather cold, in fact I’m pretty sure I saw some snow, we had managed to wear the right clothing so that the cold didn’t make a difference. 

Lia loved watching the birds. In fact, I hardly heard a sound out of her all day, but every time I looked at her she was smiling at the birds. And who wouldn’t, when they’re as cute as this? 

In the last few years, there have been lots of exciting developments at Slimbridge, such as the Otter enclosure and the introduction of beavers. 

We managed to see the otters, who were looking particularly cute but the beavers were sleeping (they tend to do so all day) and we didn’t manage to catch a glimpse of them. 

Slimbridge was busy today, because the Festival of Birds was on. But one of the things I love about the place is that it soaks up the crowds really well and it didn’t seem overrun at all. 

Both girls enjoyed the two lovely little parks and were particularly excited about going on the slide together. Libby also loved going through the little tunnel.

As well as the parks, Libby loved feeding the birds and Lia seemed particularly taken with the brightly coloured flamingos.

The whole site is just beautiful and although we didn’t have time to make the most of all the lovely hides, it was still a great place to walk round. 

There is definitely an educational value for children as well, learning to identify birds and ensuring they won’t grow up being frightened of them because they’ve had early exposure to them. 

And aside from anything else, it’s great to get out into the fresh air at this time of year, especially with young children, it’s so easy to wrap them up in cotton wool and keep them inside. 

We had a brilliant day and have resolved not to leave it so long next time. We’re considering investing in a membership to make sure that we go more often, after all it’s only 45 minutes up the road and it’s a great resource. You can find out more about the Slimbridge Wetland Centre on their website.