Spooktacular 'wild' goings-on at UK WWT Wetland Centres this October Half Term
Children and their families can enjoy a scarily huge variety of spooky fun at nine WWT Wetland Centres spread across the UK this October half term. Many events incorporate a ‘wild’ element, giving a different twist to traditional Halloween fare.
Activities include discovering the gross side of nature at the Yuck Show at WWT Arundel (W. Sussex), the Nauseating Nature Trail at WWT Washington (Tyne and Wear) and Broomstick flight training following the winter journey of the whooper swan at WWT Martin Mere (Lancashire).
Hannah Clifford from WWT said:
“Our visitors always love Halloween, so this half term we thought we’d give families something a little bit extra by incorporating the weird and wonderful side of nature into many of our activities. Children often find the gory side of the natural world fascinating so we’re indulging their imaginations by introducing them to flesh-eating zombie ducks, carnivorous plants and much more.”
As well as Halloween events, some centres are also playing host to iconic children’s toys over October half term with the GIANT LEGO® brick animal trail at WWT Llanelli (South Wales), GIANT Wetland Top Trumps at WWT Slimbridge (Gloucestershire) and Guess Who? at WWT London.
Fourteen celebrity-designed GIANT ducks will be at WWT Welney’s (Norfolk) Celebrity Dusty Duck trail. Dusty Duck was kindly created by the world-renowned Aardman studios, home of Wallace and Gromit, to celebrate WWT’s 70th anniversary, and celebrity designs include Joanna Lumley’s Patsy Dusty, Steve Backshall’s Explorer Dusty and Justin Fletcher’s Pirate Justy Dusty.
See below for a full listing of events at WWT Wetland Centres this October half term. For more information visit wwt.org.uk/visit
WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre, Gloucestershire: wwt.org.uk/slimbridge
- Slimbridge Spooktacular: 21 -29 October: a week of spooky fun including lantern making, terrifying nature trails and pumpkin carving.
- Wetland Top Trumps Trail: 23 September – 29 October: can you beat Slimbridge at a game of GIANT wetland Top Trumps?
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre, Lancashire: wwt.org.uk/martinmere
- Pumpkin Fest: 21 – 31 October: take part in pumpkin carving, a pumpkin hunt, broomstick flight training and much more.
WWT London Wetland Centre, Barnes: wwt.org.uk/london
- Guess Who? 21- 29 October: play Guess Who? To win, use your ID skills and powers of observation to guess which wetland animal your partner has selected.
WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre, County Down, Northern Ireland: wwt.org.uk/castleespie
- Spellbound Festival: 29-31 October: three days of monstrous fun including Halloween horrors nature trail, storytelling and meet the animals.
WWT Llanelli Wetland Centre, Carmarthenshire, South Wales: wwt.org.uk/Llanelli
- GIANT LEGO brick animal trail: 9 September – 5 November: the fantastic GIANT LEGO brick animal trail is back by popular demand this year with some brand NEW models as well as all the old favourites. Also book onto interactive LEGO brick workshops and take home your own LEGO brick frog.
WWT Arundel Wetland Centre, West Sussex: wwt.org.uk/arundel
- The Yuck Show: 21-29 October: discover the gross and grotty side of nature with Professor Batwing. Also explore the spooktacular trail, pond dip for scary mini beasts and create creepy craft.
WWT Washington Wetland Centre, Tyne and Wear: wwt.org.uk/washington
- Nauseating Nature trail: 1-31 October: Unearth gory facts about weird wetland wildlife.
WWT Caerlaverock Wetland Centre, Dumfriesshire, Scotland: wwt.org.uk/caerlaverock
- Pumpkin carving: 28 October: use inspiration from the wildlife at Caerlaverock to carve your own pumpkin.
WWT Welney Wetland Centre: Norfolk: wwt.org.uk/welney
- Celebrity Dusty Duck trail: until 29 October: see 14 celebrity-designed GIANT ducks.
- Wild swan feeds: 21 October – 11 March: enjoy one of the best wildlife spectacles in the UK this winter, from the comfort of a heated hide!
