Linda needed to get the kids out of the house. The kids were excited until they realised their mum wanted to take them to Barnes for the day. Little did they realise.......
“Who fancies a day out exploring and seeing new things?” On hearing this my kids were wild with excitement. What could it be? A day out at Lego – Yippee!! Perhaps mum is taking us to the park for a change and not dragging us around B&Q today... Ooh Ooh we cant wait!! But then she comes out with a gem “OK lets go to Barnes”... Barnes, what is that? We are going south of the river, sounds really boring, what could be in Barnes? It really doesn’t sound like an exciting day out exploring. My kids settle into the back seat of the car deflated and fed up, knowing that this is going to be another day of boredom.As we approached Barnes, there were shops and my kids were so bored of sitting in the car, their faces said it all – "oh no not more shopping", but then we turned left off of the high street. As the sat nav said “you have reached your destination” the kids peered out of the window and all they saw was a gravel car park – “Wow Wee, we are in for a really fun day out, NOT!!”, came from my oldest daughter’s mouth as she rolled her eyes – a look I am getting used to.
As we walked over the bridge to the entrance of the London Wetlands Centre the traffic and hustle and bustle of ordinary life seemed a distance memory. We bought our tickets and went through into the courtyard to begin our adventure. Apart from the odd plane going overhead to and from Heathrow airport, this place is a haven.
We saw all different types of geese, swans, ducks and more exotic birds and we completely forgot that we were so close to London. We hooked up with a group of people who were following a keeper feeding the birds. When the birds saw the keeper they became very vocal and couldn’t wait to be fed. It was funny to see them all quiet and going about their own business and when they realised that lunch was on its way how excited they all became.We walked around for ages, enjoying the tranquillity and beauty all around us. We hid in the hides and tried to spot unusual wildlife, peered into ponds hoping to see something looking back at us and took funny photographs of ourselves with plants that we had never seen before.
Back in the courtyard there were several buildings that looked interesting but we just didn’t have enough time to explore them all. We went to the shop and then upstairs we found a childrens’ discovery area which looked really good.
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| Job Done! Happy Children |
My children were so disappointed to be leaving the Wetlands, even though we had been there for several hours, both of them said in unison “can we come back again soon?” I would call that a pretty successful day out – wouldn’t you? Job Done !
Please note: I would advise taking a flask of hot tea or coffee and a warm coat as it does get cold. If you are going with children take some snacks with you but please remember to take your rubbish home with you.
For Discount Tickets if you fancy a trip try here
Written by Linda Trup for Animal Days Out
