Slimbridge Wetland Centre is around 45 minute drive from our home (just East of Bristol) and easily accessible from the M5. I am constantly impressed by the improvements and additions to the center each time we visit.
Today we got to visit on their first Spring SEND Day for 2026, if you read this in time you can still visit for the second SEND day on 18th May. I must remember to visit in Spring more often as there were goslings everywhere!
Slimbridge Gozzle Trail
Until the end of May there is also the Gozzle trail for fans of the book by Julia Donaldson and Sara Ogilvie. My eldest had a wonderful time ticking off the Gozzles around the centre. They are also running storytelling sessions and vet checks. We purchased the Gozzle trail pack (£4) and my son is still wearing his bear ears and stickers now we are home!
SEND Day
I have always thought Slimbridge was great at accessibility. They have several large disabled toilets around the site as well as the changing places facilities – I always think accessibility begins with the loo! The site also has accessible trails around the majority of the main site plus accessible viewing areas and bird hide. This makes it a really practical day out for anyone with accessibility needs.
On arrival for the SEND day we were met by a team of volunteers ready to answer questions and direct us to areas of interest. Anyone attending for the SEND day were provided with wristbands to enable us to access the quiet and calm SEND activities.
I was really impressed they had a number of activities planned including, storytime with a Makaton tutor, crafts and pond dipping. There were calm / quiet sessions as well as sessions open to all.
Quiet & Calm Pond Dipping
We passed the pond dipping team as they were setting up, we mentioned that we would be back for the quiet session. The volunteer was so helpful, they suggested we have a go then and there. The volunteer was fantastic showing my son how to do it and helping him out. My son was delighted to find four fish and a snail – it really made his day.
So often activities can be really hard for us to access for so many reasons. I was impressed to see so many volunteers around the site on hand to support and help make everything as inclusive as possible. All the team members we interacted with were really friendly and helpful but in a perfectly calm and accessible way – I was very impressed with all the interactions we had.
Arts & Crafts
There were a few options for arts and crafts activities which were set up undercover but outside, so in a really calm environment. My son chose to make an insect hotel, it was really easy to follow the clear step by step visual guide. The volunteers here were again friendly and helpful.
Playtime
My youngest is more interested in where he can play/ do any form of movement activity. In the past we would have spent hours at Welly Boot Land – I highly recommend it for anyone with little ones who like water (just remember spare clothes). Today we were lucky to find two small soft play areas with no one else around so he could enjoy. The main soft play room also has some activities on tables (puzzle games) and some frogs on display, this was great to occupy my eldest whilst the youngest had a play.
The main playground gave the boys their play fix, lots of climbing, running and sliding going on. Youngest really loves the wobbly bridge! There are also lots of lovely things around the site to keep the kids entertained as we look at the birds, from footprints to wigwams and stepping stones across the water.
Wetlands Centre
Whilst the boys really enjoyed the activities and play we also got to enjoy plenty of wildlife. My youngest was very impressed with all the flamingos, for me the baby Avocets were a real treat. I did have to promise we would bring my eldest back to see the otters who were not out to play today.
A great day out for all the family
I will be bringing the family back for more fun at Slimbridge. It is a large site (although easy for small legs to get around) and mostly outdoors so perfect for us, my youngest struggles with crowds /noise and there were plenty of quiet calm areas making it an easy day.
Everything you need is here – toilets, play areas, picnic tables, shop, restaurant, snacks at play area. There is also quite a few under cover areas and exhibits across the site. The signage identifying all the animals is really clear and accessible, meaning we could talk about what we were looking at together. Plus for my LEGO fan there were some fantastic huge LEGO builds around too.
I hope there will be more SEND days as we really appreciated the activities and fantastic staff and volunteers making it a really special day. You can find out what’s on at Slimbridge here. For further information see their website here and for other WWT sites around the country see here.
If you want other ideas for Days Out click here.
