After Baby arrived, Grandma suggested that we visit, to see what, if anything, had changed. We even decided to take out annual memberships, on the basis that we would probably visit more than four times. Since then we've already visited enough times to make the membership worthwhile.
This particular visit (Baby slept through the whole of the first visit) was to coincide with the Lego animal trail which was in place over the Winter months. Giant animals including flamingos, otters, kingfishers and other birds were made out of hundreds of lego bricks and positioned around the enclosures.
We were given a map at reception, and set off. All of the statues were very easy to spot, as they were very tall. Some were chunkier than others, but they were all equally as impressive. Their height meant that Baby was able to spot them from her pram, though they were all strategically positioned to avoid anyone touching and damaging them.
The site itself isn't that large, and a walk round can be done in under an hour, which was just as well on this occasion as it started to pour with rain about three quarters of the way round. The 'enclosures' are on one side of the site, to the left as you leave the shop/visitor centre, with the mere and hides to the right.
The enclosures contain a large variety of ducks, moorhens, flamingos and even otters. There are gates in between the areas which are split generally into continents. The paths are wide and generally tarmaced or concrete, but the edges of some of the water bodies are unfenced, so those with curious children would need to pay special attention whilst walking around.
There is also a Wild Walk, which Mummy and Baby have as yet been unable to do, because Mummy nevers remembers her wellies/forgets that Baby needs to be in the carrier, not the pram, to access this part. During the ostensibly warmer months (April to October), there are canoes for hire and boat tours available. Again, Mummy and Baby are yet to experience this because babes in arms aren't permitted on either, for safety reasons.
Part of Martin Mere's appeal for serious bird watchers is that it attracts large numbers of migratory swans, and it even hosts swan feeding at specific times in certain months. Any events put on for children tend to focus on the enclosure side of the site, meaning that the hides are kept still and quiet.
Grandma could sit in the hides all day watching different birds coming and going. Surprisingly, Baby also enjoyed sitting on the window ledge in one of the hides, watching the swans extending and flapping their wings, far more than I thought she would. One of the newer hides is heated, in an attempt to encourage children and families to make use of it. Personally I wouldn't take Baby into a hide which I knew had other bird watchers in as I suspect she might make a bit too much noise and disturb the birds/watchers, but if children were able to make minimal noise they might enjoy using the binoculars and bird books provided to spot different species. A good location for ticking off some items in an ispy book!
Key facts:
Month of visit:
January
Weather for visit:
Intermittent rain and dry spells.
Is it pushchair friendly?
Yes, all the paths are wide and accessible.
How are the baby changing facilities?
There are a couple of sets of toilets, we used the ones in the cafe. Baby changing was in the disabled toilets, and were clean and warm.
What about somewhere to feed?
Nowhere to feed in the disabled toilets, but I fed in the cafe with no issues.
Is it worth a visit?
Yes, fresh air and plenty of visual stimulation for Baby.
Baby's highlight?
The giant Lego kingfisher.
WWT Martin Mere
Fish Lane,
Burscough,
Lancs,
L40 0TA
http://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/martin-mere/
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