Frampton Marsh and Freiston Shore Covid Update: 12 April 2021

Hello everyone!

As we reach the next step of the government's roadmap for exiting Covid restrictions, we'd like to keep you informed as to what the changes will be. Please note especialy the section about hides, as this might be different to what you have previously been told.

Welcome
The visitor centre at Frampton Marsh is not open. You will usually find staff on duty to welcome you either on the veranda of the centre, or just inside the wooden welcome hut.  
On the first Tuesday of each month the welcome (and toilets) will not be open until 1 pm, to allow for a staff meeting. The reserve will still be open however.
Given the constraints of the building, with only one way in/out, it is likely that the visitor centre may not be able to open for indoor seating until June at the earliest.

Car parks
All the car parks are open, at both sites. 

Reserve Trails
All the trails are open, from dawn to dusk. At Frampton, please close the gates in the anti-predator fence behind you, as it will keep the breeding area free from ground-based predators. Please also be considerate of other visitors. If you want to stop to look at something, step off the path so that others can get by whilst maintaining the 2 metres distancing. There are no one-way systems, we have cut the paths to be wide enough for everyone to get by.

Hides
All the hides are currently closed. We had hoped to reopen hides on Monday 12 April in accordance with Government guidelines, sadly we have to announce that they now won’t be open until 17 May at the earliest. We totally understand this is disappointing for some of our visitors, but it is in line with Government guidance. Throughout the pandemic, we have sought regular clarification from the Government (DEFRA) on what the various guidance means for the different elements of our visitor operations. They have confirmed that hides are to remain closed until 17 May at the earliest. We know our hides are important to many visitors and will have them back open as soon as we are able to.

Toilets
The toilets at Frampton are be open between 10 am and 4 pm daily (with the exception of the first Tuesday of the month, as mentioned above). Please check with the staff on duty if the loos are free and, if not, queue in a socially distant fashion outside. To comply with Covid regulations we will have to close the toilets at times in order to clean them.Please remain patient during this time, we will get them open again as quickly as we can whilst not skimping on the cleaning.

Refreshments
We are offering limited takeaway refreshments between 10 am and 4 pm. We can offer Americano coffee (made fresh with our fantastic Love Nature coffee beans), hot chocolate, and teas (English breakfast, Earl Grey, peppermint, red berry or decaff). We do have powdered almond milk available for our vegan and lactose-intolerant visitors. A variety of cans or cartons of cold drinks are also available. We also have a variety of prepackaged cakes and biscuits. Please make your order with the staff on duty, and pay with a contactless card or device. 
We regret that we are currently unable to offer filled rolls, ice creams, or the more exotic coffees like we usually do.

Reserve Charges
The access fee of £1 per car for non-members still applies at Freiston Shore. At Frampton Marsh as from 12 April there will be a fee to use any of the reserve facilities, including the trails, loos, picnic area and both car parks. The initial price will be £2.25 per adult, £1.00 per child (first child and under 5's are free). This is a 25% reduction off the normal price, given the hides are still closed. For reasons as to why we are introducing these charges, please see this blog.

Picnic Tables
The picnic tables are reopening from 12 April, and will once again become free for you to sit at, and enjoy the view. Don't forget our lovely coffee!

Events
We regret that due to Covid restrictions we will not be running an Easter Egg Hunt this year. There will is a FREE trail to follow until 18 April, to discover the mysteries off eggs. However there will be no prize for this.
We hope to bring back a limited events programme soon with small guided walks, and a self-led trail for the May half-term.

We will update this information if anything changes. In the meantime, enjoy the reserve and stay safe everyone!