Don’t miss our Walney Wildlife Day on Saturday 16 November – it promises to be a great day out for all the family.

The free event runs from 11.00am to 3.00pm at our flagship nature reserve at South Walney near Barrow. It’s home not only to the North West’s only breeding grey seal colony (including three pups so far this season!) but is also a great place to see spectacular flocks of winter wading birds.

Highlights of Walney Wildlife Day on Saturday 16 November include:

Stranded on Foulney – 11.30am–3.30pm Take part in an unforgettable guided walk with a ranger, who will take you over to neighbouring Foulney Island Nature Reserve where you’ll be 'stranded' by the high tide so you can see stunning flocks of wading birds. (NB: This event must be booked in advance.)

Activity-filled hides Visit all five bird hides at South Walney Nature Reserve where enthusiastic experts will be on hand to help you identify any wildlife that you see. Each hide will also have a fun children's activity – the first 70 children to complete all five activities will win a goodie bag!

Visitor Cabin fun Get crafty in the newly-opened visitor cabin, which will be filled with fun activities such as making jellyfish, mask-making and face-painting. You can also watch the grey seals and their pups close up in the seal cam cinema, and buy snacks and drinks. Please bring your reusable mugs for hot drinks and wrap up warm!

There will be a raffle with great prizes for all the family, including:

• Two family tickets for the Ravenglass and Eskdale steam railway
• Afternoon tea for three at The Grange Hotel
• Family pass to Maryport Aquarium
• Go Ape voucher
• Hawkshead Brewery voucher

No need to pre-book, apart from the Stranded at Foulney event (suitable for 12 years and above). To book your place, please email us or ring 01539 816300.

No dogs are allowed on South Walney Nature Reserve (except assistance dogs).

Find our Facebook event at @cumbriawildlifetrust or @LivingSeasNW  #WalneyWildlifeDay

NB Grey seals are incredibly vulnerable to disturbance, especially during the pupping season. For this reason, there is strictly no access to the area of the nature reserve where the seals are. However, the seals can be seen playing and fishing in the water at high tide, along with thousands of wintering wildfowl and wader birds, from hides elsewhere on the nature reserve. The seals and pups can be viewed close up on the seal cam, which is streamed live in the visitor cabin.

Walney Wildlife Day is run jointly by Cumbria Wildlife Trust and Living Seas North West, a collaboration between the North West Wildlife Trusts, which is supported by grant funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.