Self-Guided Trail Access
Three waymarked loops of two, five and nine kilometres are open daily from dawn to dusk, with boardwalks over the wet sections and four hides along the way. Admission includes a waterproof map, the current week's species list, free loan of wellingtons and binoculars from the visitor room, and access to the heated shelter, toilets and hot drinks. Path status is updated after every spell of heavy rain, and staff at the desk will tell you honestly which loop is worth walking that day and which is currently under thirty centimetres of water.
Guided Birdwatching Mornings
Three-hour walks led by a surveyor, running twice a week through spring and autumn and by arrangement at other times. Groups are capped at ten, telescopes and binoculars are supplied, and the route is chosen on the morning according to where the birds actually are. Sessions cover identification by shape, call and behaviour rather than plumage detail alone, and finish in the visitor room with soup, a summary of everything recorded and a list emailed afterwards. Complete beginners are the most common participants and are never made to feel like an inconvenience.
Photography Hide Bookings
Two hides can be reserved for exclusive use by one or two photographers, with pre-dawn access, low benches at ground level, a fixed bean-bag rest and a screened approach that avoids flushing birds off the scrape. Bookings run for a half or full day and include a briefing on where the light falls at each hour and which species are currently using that pool. Flash is not permitted, and playback of calls is prohibited across the whole site. A hot drink is delivered to the hide mid-morning so that nobody has to break cover.
School and Youth Programmes
Free half-day sessions for local schools and youth groups, matched to the age of the class: pond dipping and minibeast hunts for younger children, water-level measurement, nest-survey methods and food-chain work for older students. Wellingtons, nets, trays, clipboards and identification sheets are provided, teachers receive a preparation pack and risk assessment in advance, and every session ends indoors with hot drinks. Groups from further afield are welcome at a modest charge, and we can visit schools with equipment when a trip is not possible.
Courses and Survey Volunteering
Weekend courses cover wader identification, bird song, wetland plants, sketching in the field and using a telescope properly, taught in small groups with plenty of time outdoors. Volunteers can join breeding surveys, winter counts, boardwalk repair days, scrub clearance and sluice maintenance, with training, tools, boots and lunch supplied. No experience is needed to start, several volunteers who arrived as complete beginners now lead their own counts, and everyone who contributes receives the annual report with their name in it.
Group Visits and Private Guiding
Natural history societies, camera clubs, walking groups and companies can book a private guide for a morning, an afternoon or a full day, with the route, pace and subject matter agreed beforehand. Options include a slow accessible circuit for older members, a dawn chorus start with breakfast afterwards, an evening walk for drumming snipe and barn owls, or a day combining fieldwork with a talk on floodplain restoration. Minibus parking, packed lunches and indoor space for a presentation can all be arranged with the booking.
