We are delighted to share that the Avalon Hide is now open. You’ll notice we’ve made a few changes to keep everyone safe. So that you can all safely enjoy watching the wonderful wildlife here, please be aware of the limited capacity and wear a face covering if able to. We've put hand sanitiser at the entrance to the hide, so please use it before going in.
You'll see that we have spaced out the seating to allow for social distancing and so some windows are not in use - we have clearly marked these. You'll spot that we've got maximum numbers signposted at the entrance, so please consider the amount of time you dwell in the hide on busy days, to allow everyone the opportunity to enjoy the wildlife in safety here.
We are working hard on opening the Tor View Hide but are not ready to open it at this time. The Tor View Hide requires structural work to its footings as advised by a structural engineer during regular infrastructure checks. This work needs to be completed before the water levels begin to rise again for winter but after the breeding season so now is the part of the year that this work is able to be completed.
Once this structural work has been completed, we can then make the hide COVID secure. The path to the hide itself is narrow with water on both sides and you are unable to see if people are coming in either direction when you start out on it. This means we also need to build some passing places which allow people to pass at a safe distance while using the path. Only once all of this work has been completed will we be able to open the Tor View Hide. The volunteers continue to be hard at work on completing the Waltons screens and we hope to have these open in the next few weeks.
As you can see, we are working on getting things opened as quickly as possible but are not just dealing with COVID issues. Steve Couch is focusing his time on getting things reopened and will resume writing his usual blog when he has a chance to sit down and write. We want to thank everyone for their patience and support as we continue to reopen the reserve as quickly we can.