Explore Washington Wetland Centre and get closer to nature whatever the weather. Open 364 days, enjoy beautiful scenery, unforgettable wildlife encounters and special events all year round. Explore a diverse mix of wetlands and woodlands, home to a collection of exotic birds including Chilean flamingos, Asian short-clawed otters as well flocks of wild waders, grey herons, woodland birds, insects and amphibians. Visit Waterside Cafe for a variety of hot and cold food and drinks overlooking the wildlife and scenery of the Stream Channel. For those exploring with children, visit the play area to use up some energy! With excellent accessibility for pushchair and wheelchair users (mobility scooters available), it's ideal for everyone.
Beautiful wee place to visit. From the start, the person who welcomed us was very welcoming and kind. I went there with my disabled mam in her wheelchair and the bloke got out a ramp for us, and proceeded to explain the best most wheelchair accessible routes to take. They also offer mobility scooters that are available to be used for no charge, a great idea. There is a great selection of wildlife, mainly birds to look at and some beautiful views to see. It'd mainly outdoors, so we got a bit wet, but nevertheless still a good trip. We both enjoyed listening to the Flamingo and the Otter talks. The lady doing the talks (can't remember her name, she had dark hair), was great, very engaging and informative. She did a real good job in keeping our attention and helping us learn about the otters and the flamingos. With a great selection of wildfowl to see and an accessible terrain, there isn't much left to br desired. The cafe was nice, and the shop had some good bits in it as well. All in all, it makes for a pleasant day out. There is a park for bairns that, to be honest, if I was a few years younger I'd probably quite have enjoyed to play on myself.
Lovely midweek day here in the summer holidays. The carpark was busy but we parked easily in a disabled space and once inside everyone was spread out so it wasn't crowded at all. The centre do a free carer ticket for disabled people- I had my PIP letter as proof but didn't need it. The staff (volunteers) were so lovely, they explained the shorter and longer walk, advised us of the otter and flamingo talk times, and gave the girls a trail to follow. Unfortunately the trail was the longer (3 mile) walk which I couldn't manage, but there are scooters to hire which in hindsight I could/should have done in advance. The wildlife is lovely, it's a beautiful walk around and there are ample noticeboards to identify the birds, as well as plenty of seating for rests. We had a picnic by the lake but there is a cafe with a wide selection of hot and cold food, drinks and ice creams. The girls really enjoyed the water science section and the play area. The otter and flamingo talks were done by the same keeper who was brilliant and highly knowledgeable despite saying she'd only been there a few weeks. There is a large gift shop at the end selling a range of bird/wildlife themed items too.
Had a wonderful time visiting WWT Washington for the first time! My friends and I arrived at about 12:00 and stayed until closing at 17:30, we certainly could have stayed there longer if it was open longer. So much nature and wildlife to see. I enjoyed that there was the option to look at animals in nice enclosures as well as the ability to view wild animals via the hides. The staff are brilliant and all of the visitors are also very friendly. This is a great place for everyone and would certainly recommend it. I look forward to returning!
We like this place. It has a good natural ecological environment. We don't have to buy food for birds, and we don't have to disturb their lives. It preserves a strong atmosphere of natural education and has some toys that are very inspiring for children. Here is a good place in modern life that does not bring knowledge from mobile phones, computers and other electronic products.
It's a nice place, a lot to walk. A lot of different birds can be seen and you can walk just by them. Unfortunately, the map was very awkward to understand. We wanted to see as many different animals but we didn't know if some places had animals or not some were closed with no explanation, so we feel like we probably missed out on this. I am happy to pay the PS11 entry fee as it goes to helping animals, but for the price it seems like we could've gotten more had the map been clearer had more easily marked places and what you can find there
Scientific research and education are the primary uses of nature reserves. They are an amazing area selected to preserve and protect plants and animal species, features and natural processes. All of this and even more you can find in WWT Washington Centre. This is a great nature reserve for spotting and photographing wildlife with a huge expanse of land with many ponds and lakes and a stretch of the River Wear . The reserve features a great playground for children, well maintained coffee place and a very knowledgeable and friendly staff. If you love nature this is the perfect place to visit for all your family from grandparents to children of all ages. This is a great place in a perfect location with easy access to parking - always a plus. I would definitely recommend this place to visit.
On-site services
Hiking
Picnic tables
Public toilet
Slides
Swings
Good for kids
Kid-friendly hikes
Playground
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Beautiful wee place to visit. From the start, the person who welcomed us was very welcoming and kind. I went there with my disabled mam in her wheelchair and the bloke got out a ramp for us, and proceeded to explain the best most wheelchair accessible routes to take. They also offer mobility scooters that are available to be used for no charge, a great idea. There is a great selection of wildlife, mainly birds to look at and some beautiful views to see. It'd mainly outdoors, so we got a bit wet, but nevertheless still a good trip. We both enjoyed listening to the Flamingo and the Otter talks. The lady doing the talks (can't remember her name, she had dark hair), was great, very engaging and informative. She did a real good job in keeping our attention and helping us learn about the otters and the flamingos. With a great selection of wildfowl to see and an accessible terrain, there isn't much left to br desired. The cafe was nice, and the shop had some good bits in it as well. All in all, it makes for a pleasant day out. There is a park for bairns that, to be honest, if I was a few years younger I'd probably quite have enjoyed to play on myself.
Lovely midweek day here in the summer holidays. The carpark was busy but we parked easily in a disabled space and once inside everyone was spread out so it wasn't crowded at all. The centre do a free carer ticket for disabled people- I had my PIP letter as proof but didn't need it. The staff (volunteers) were so lovely, they explained the shorter and longer walk, advised us of the otter and flamingo talk times, and gave the girls a trail to follow. Unfortunately the trail was the longer (3 mile) walk which I couldn't manage, but there are scooters to hire which in hindsight I could/should have done in advance. The wildlife is lovely, it's a beautiful walk around and there are ample noticeboards to identify the birds, as well as plenty of seating for rests. We had a picnic by the lake but there is a cafe with a wide selection of hot and cold food, drinks and ice creams. The girls really enjoyed the water science section and the play area. The otter and flamingo talks were done by the same keeper who was brilliant and highly knowledgeable despite saying she'd only been there a few weeks. There is a large gift shop at the end selling a range of bird/wildlife themed items too.
Had a wonderful time visiting WWT Washington for the first time! My friends and I arrived at about 12:00 and stayed until closing at 17:30, we certainly could have stayed there longer if it was open longer. So much nature and wildlife to see. I enjoyed that there was the option to look at animals in nice enclosures as well as the ability to view wild animals via the hides. The staff are brilliant and all of the visitors are also very friendly. This is a great place for everyone and would certainly recommend it. I look forward to returning!
We like this place. It has a good natural ecological environment. We don't have to buy food for birds, and we don't have to disturb their lives. It preserves a strong atmosphere of natural education and has some toys that are very inspiring for children. Here is a good place in modern life that does not bring knowledge from mobile phones, computers and other electronic products.
It's a nice place, a lot to walk. A lot of different birds can be seen and you can walk just by them. Unfortunately, the map was very awkward to understand. We wanted to see as many different animals but we didn't know if some places had animals or not some were closed with no explanation, so we feel like we probably missed out on this. I am happy to pay the PS11 entry fee as it goes to helping animals, but for the price it seems like we could've gotten more had the map been clearer had more easily marked places and what you can find there
Scientific research and education are the primary uses of nature reserves. They are an amazing area selected to preserve and protect plants and animal species, features and natural processes. All of this and even more you can find in WWT Washington Centre. This is a great nature reserve for spotting and photographing wildlife with a huge expanse of land with many ponds and lakes and a stretch of the River Wear . The reserve features a great playground for children, well maintained coffee place and a very knowledgeable and friendly staff. If you love nature this is the perfect place to visit for all your family from grandparents to children of all ages. This is a great place in a perfect location with easy access to parking - always a plus. I would definitely recommend this place to visit.
