If the children are crawling up the walls and you are over your 15th visit to your local playground these holidays, take advantage of the quiet roads and head down to the London Wetland Centre in Barnes. There is so much going, we didn’t know where to begin! Other than the occasional plane going over head, you wouldn’t know you were in The Big Smoke.
At the beginning of our visit we signed up to the Giant Egg Hunt and had to hunt the giant ducks dotted around. Each duck had a letter on it that you jotted down that made a word. Completed forms won… a chocolate. Yum, it is the Easter Holidays after all.
There were lots of Easter related activities such as egg painting which kept even the whiniest children quiet (yes my family won that prize).
There was also ‘build a Lego duck’ for the older children.
Other than enjoying different types of birds that the Wetland Centre homes in their natural habitat, there was a plethora of things to do. The Pond Dipping at the Pond Safari and the interactive talk on Otters were a hit.
The Wetlands is equipped for children of all ages and it is perfectly suited to a buggy too as the whole of the Centre has smooth paths around it.
For the more energetic, the giant playground Explore has a zip wire, vole tunnels and a climbing wall. There are a couple of lovely little cafes where you can buy those genius pick n mix lunch boxes.
If 2/3 of my children hadn’t jumped in a puddle that went in and over their boots in the first five minutes (there was only one puddle after the recent rainfall – and yes they found it!) we could have easily wiled away the whole day and enjoyed the extensive indoor play areas too.
So much to do, so little time! The good news is, it is cost effective to get a season ticket as it is redeemable against the entrance fee, so after a couple of trips it would pay for itself.
Definitely one for you if have an energetic explorer in your midst and want a refreshing change of scene…
wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/london
The Giant Duck Hunt is on until 10th April.
