WWT Washington Wetland Centre

Lovely place for a mental health walk or for a family day out. Be aware that both inner and outer loop walks are long. The 'outer loop' walk is VERY long and there are no shortcuts back to the start, but there are places to sit along the way including a couple of lookout boxes to view birds on the water. One negative I would say is there should be at least a couple of bins along the walks for litter - not in the wooded areas but perhaps at the viewbox sites. The main place to see the main concentration of wildlife is along the inner loop walk. Wildlife includes flamingos, various birds and two otters who are only seen out at set feeding times (written on a door at the site), no animals are allowed to be fed by the public. There are several picnic bench sites suitable for picnics, and many areas to quietly sit and observe nature along the inner loop walk. There is a cafe at the entrance that serves hot and cold meals, and a small gift shop. There is also a lovely play area for small children which includes a climbing frame, swing, water pump, sandpit, and sandy pretend kitchen area a little further along. There is also a climbing frame and slide for older children. Overall an enjoyable day out and you can choose to walk as little or as much as you want with no time limit. If you book online up to midnight the night before your trip, you can save 10%.

· via Google

A beautiful conservation park. We spent around 5 hours here on a Saturday. The staff firstly were very knowledgeable and provided lots of info. Tickets are well worth the price at approx £12 with gift aid. The park is large and full of a diverse range of animals, from flamingoes and otters to red squirrels and mallards. There's lots of information about the creatures while you're walking around. The spaces are large and green, with different habitats for different animals. There are plenty of benches and lovely picturesque spots to sit down and absorb it all while walking around. It's amazing just sitting and listening to the birdsong while a stream bubbles away next to you. We even fell asleep on one of the benches. Highly recommend this place, it's great for kids too and has mobility aids around. There are some inaccessible areas for people requiring mobility assistance but there is still plenty to see.

· via Google

A lovely morning with my preschooler child on a Friday. It was fairly quiet so felt we had the place to ourselves in the morning. The reception staff showed us the map and the best route for us with a walking young child. Seen some lovely birds quite close up and species I haven't seen before. The otter talk was good. No flamingos on show due to bird flu. Picnic tables aplenty and cafe reasonable.

· via Google

A really lovely place to visit. The flamingos and otters were particular highlights but my 2.5 year old loved all the birds! Great play areas too.

· via Google