The school holidays are here, and we're welcoming families to St. Aidan's Nature Park to go wild!
The RSPB's Wild Challenge is home to tonnes of ideas about how you & your children can get close to nature. You can sign up as a family for free & work your way towards your gold award.
The Aire Valley have always welcomed families, and now St Aidan's is in its second summer - we've upped the possibilities!
There are organised bug hunts throughout August, but if you want to drop in & go it alone, we have Wild Challenge Backpacks to hire any day from the visitor centre. Inside, there's all the equipment & ID cards you need to go bug hunting for two, ways to get crafty, spotter sheets & a stethoscope (I won't ruin the surprise!) Pick one up from the centre - £3 for the day (free to RSPB members).
If you're not quite up to a full activity pack or and creepy crawlies aren't your thing, then we have free spotter sheets for you to have a go at too. Hire some binoculars if you haven't got some, and see what birds and summer wildlife you can find around St Aidan's. Don't forget to collect your sticker at the end!
You might be lucky enough to spot our resident little owls from near the visitor centre...
Little owl in the dragline compound - Graham Breeze
For all the children with a need for speed - most of the 12km of paths around St Aidan's are public bridleway. We manage the place for both wildlife and people - so you are more than welcome to bring your bikes & really go wild! Pop into the centre & we'll give you a special map for cyclists.
We've just had picnic benches installed near the visitor centre for people to enjoy the view from the recreational area - perfect for an ice cream after a summers day out.