London Wetland Centre

If you have a young family living in or near Barnes, then chances are that one of your most treasured possessions is your Wetland Centre membership card! The London Wetland Centre is indeed a haven for nature and bird watchers, but it is also incredibly family-friendly – making it a great place to visit whether it’s just for a quick snack in beautiful surroundings or to explore nature and the Centre’s interactive attractions for a few hours.

When you enter the London Wetland Centre and pass through the ticket area, you then have the choice of walking to the left or the right. To the left you can take a stroll through the different areas of Wetlands Of The World and see birds from all over the globe, finding out what the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust is doing to protect them. It’s incredibly peaceful and there are different walkways and routes to explore, with some areas also set up for those taking their own snacks or picnics.

On this side of the Centre you’ll find the very cute otters as well, so watch out for their feeding times and if you’re lucky you’ll see them frolicking in their water feature. On both sides of the Centre there are also a number of bird-watching hides. Whilst these can be a bit of a challenge for the very little ones who might not be so good at staying quiet, they’re also intriguing with their hushed atmosphere and binoculars to try out.

To the right you’ll walk through the cafe building to explore the other side of the Centre where children can get much more hands-on with nature. There’s the Pond Zone where the Wetland Centre regularly runs pond dipping sessions, helping you identify all the little critters you might find. We once even saw someone catch a newt! There’s also a side building with a couple of microscopes with which you can investigate a leaf or stick or other random items, and some fancy projections on the floor that keep youngsters amused for a surprisingly long time.

One of our favourite areas is ‘Down The Plughole’, where you can see video footage of the shocking things that go on in London’s sewers, and also learn about the right choices to make about water usage and when putting things down the toilet or sink. It encompasses a few interactive elements and endless fun. On this side of the Centre there are some beautiful wildflower areas and features, and an enjoyable walk through these takes you to the children’s adventure play area.

The children’s adventure play area is definitely a highlight of any trip to the Wetland Centre. There are lots of areas to explore, including giant dragonflies, a ‘vole hole’ complete with tunnels and caves, balance beams and a short zip wire. During the summer there is also a water play area with a rubber duck race, climbing wall and system of showers that turn on and off keeping the kids jumping in and out of them (make sure you take some swimmers and a towel!). There’s also a food outlet in the play area, where you can get drinks, snacks and ice creams.

Talking of food, back at the main building there’s a large cafe that was revamped a couple of years ago. It serves a wide range of hot and cold food to suit all tastes, including a ‘pick & mix’ lunch box (well, it’s actually a bucket) for the kids. There’s lots of seating inside and out, and the outside area is lovely and relaxing overlooking a pond full of wildlife. It can however get busy during peak times, so there is now the welcome addition of another outlet overlooking the courtyard by the tickets office, serving snacks and drinks.

In the same building as the cafe is the indoor Discovery Centre, where the kids will love to while away some time on a rainy day. Downstairs you take a walk through a recreated river bed, which leads you up some stairs and into a slightly bizarrely themed fairground area with some interactive games that also teach about conservation of wetlands. A favourite of ours is the ‘Shoot Your Poo’ cannon game which demonstrates how a healthy reed bed can filter out poo. There’s also a water game where you have to protect a village from getting flooded by opening and closing dams or building up defences out of Lego. Across on the other side of the building is the Observatory which, whilst aimed at the more serious bird watcher, still has lots of appeal to the kids with its enormous telescopes.

All in all the London Wetland Centre makes a great day out at any time of year. During half-term and holidays it’s also worth checking out what special themed events they’re putting on, as there are usually children’s trails and lots going on. In December the visits to Santa get booked up really early so you need to be organised well in advance, but there are also the wonderful huskies to meet and stroke.

The London Wetland Centre can be found at Queen Elizabeth’s Walk, Barnes SW13 9WT. It is open every day of the year except for Christmas Day, with opening times varying depending on the time of year. It can be contacted by phoning 020 8409 4400 or by emailing info.london@wwt.org.uk.

.

You can also follow Family Hub on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and sign up for our newsletter.

.