Slimbridge Wildfowl & Wetland Reserve

Reserve Name     Slimbridge Wildfowl & Wetland Reserve

 

Managing Authority     Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust

Address: Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT

Phone Number: 01453 891900

Email: enquiries@wwt.org.uk

Website     Visit Website

Google Map Link     See Location on Google Map

Overview

Access (Transport)
By road

Slimbridge Wetland Centre is conveniently located near to the M5 between Gloucester and Bristol. Exit at either junctions 13 or 14 and follow our brown duck signs. We have a large free car park. Coaches are also very welcome, with parking available close to to the Visitor Centre and toilets.

By bus

Please contact the travel line before starting your journey.

By rail

Our nearest railway station is located at Cam and Dursley Station and is a short bicycle or taxi journey away. (Approx 4 miles)

By bike

Download a copy of Sustrans National Cycle Network map. We are located on the Sustrans route, number 41. Free bike racks are situated outside the centre. Please bring your own lock.

Parking & Toilet Provision

There are two rows of disabled parking spaces at WWT Slimbridge close to the main entrance ramp.

There are six disabled toilets at WWT Slimbridge. Two of them are situated in the foyer and three of them are downstairs in the visitor centre (near the restaurant, the gallery and the discovery centre). There is also a disabled toilet near the canoe safari at the back of the grounds.

Opening Hours

Open 7 days a week, 364 days a year.
Winter (November to March)
9.30am to 5.00pm (last admission 4pm); Christmas Eve 9.30am to 3pm (last admission 2.30pm)
Summer (April to October) 9.30am to 5.30pm (last admission 4.30pm).

Visitors are not permitted to be in the grounds after closing time at 5.30pm. As there is a lot of see and do here we recommend you ensure that you arrive sufficiently early so your visit isn\’t rushed.

Canoe Safari (Easter – September 2010) – The Canoe Safari will be running every day between 11am and 4pm from Easter through to September.

Admission Charges

Adult: £9.75 Concession: £7.50 (65 years and over, full-time students, unemployed) Child: £5.30 (4-16 years) Family: £27.30 (2 adults & 2 children, 4-16 years) Children (under 4 years): Free Essential helpers assisting disabled visitors: Free

Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult

WWT members get unlimited access to all of our centres year round. Membership prices start from £35 (£48 for families).

Description of Habitat & Facilities

The birthplace of modern conservation, Slimbridge Wetland Centre is set within 325 hectares against a spectacular Severn Estuary backdrop. Land Rover rides and canoe safaris guarantee close encounters with a dazzling array of wetland life and there’s lots for our young visitors to enjoy, including the welly boot land play area.

With a long stretch of the Severn Estuary along its edge and an adjoining mosaic of saltings, salt-marsh, reed beds, open water lagoons, ditches, pools, ponds and seasonally-flooded grasslands, the wildest area of WWT Slimbridge ranks as one of Europe’s finest wetlands and a world-class viewing point for wintering wildfowl.

International Importance

Internationally important numbers of European white-fronted goose, Bewick’s swan, gadwall, pintail, pochard, ruff, teal and wigeon are all present, feeding amidst the shallow waters and short grass sward produced by grazing cattle.

Lapwing, oystercatcher and redshank all breed on the wet grassland, while kingfishers nest in a bank created especially for them and which can be viewed at close quarters from a nearby hide.

Many other hides overlook different parts of the reserve and upper estuary, each served by a well-surfaced path.

Land Rover Safari

Another option for explorers is a Land Rover safari, led by an expert nature warden. It is believed that the presence of the nationally rare plant, grass-poly, a British Red Data Book species, results from seeds being carried in by birds from its only other major site, a field in Cambridgeshire.

Other regionally important flora include bee orchids, the unusual wasp orchid, sea arrowgrass, flowering rush and mistletoe.

The site is occasionally visited by otter and polecat. Water voles are also present as are newts. Listen in summer for skylarks and keep a look out for hawks and herons hunting. Notable invertebrates include the hairy dragonfly and a large variety of moths.

The reserve covers over 325 hectares and its wetlands have international protection including a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area.

Interactive Reserve Map: www.wwt.org.uk/visit-us/slimbridge

Trails

Getting around – The visitor centre and grounds have been designed to be accessible. There are ramps up to all buildings in the grounds and the hides are also accessible (with the exception of the top floor of the Holden Tower). Most of the paths are tarmac based.

WWT Slimbridge has a selection of wheelchairs available for free to visitors including electric ones. To ensure that you get one please ring 01453 891900 in advance of your visit.

Number of Hides      13
 

      
Date Last Updated     07.08.2010

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