I thought I'd post a quick reminder of our opening hours over the Christmas period.

Minsmere is open as usual every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Bay.

This means that apart from those two days, the visitor centre, including shop, will be open from 9 am to 4 pm. The cafe will be open 9.30 am to 3.45 pm. The car park, toilets, hides and nature trails are open dawn til dusk (approximately 7.15 am to 4 pm at the moment).

All facilities at Minsmere, including the hides, nature trails, car park and visitor centre, will be CLOSED on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

You can still enjoy views across the Scrape from the beach and Public Viewpoint, and the public footpaths around the reserve perimeter will remain open, so if you want a stroll around the area on those two days we recommend parking at Sizewell Beach or the National Trust at Dunwich Heath and following the various public footpaths via Minsmere beach and Eastbridge.

Alternatively, you might like to explore RSPB North Warren, where large flocks of ducks and geese spend the winter (and a flock of snow buntings has recently frequented the beach), or enjoy the wilderness of Dingle Marshes near Dunwich.

We look forward to seeing you for some last minute Christmas shopping and birdwatching until 4 pm on Sunday (Christmas Eve), and we'll be ready to welcome you back from 9 am on Wednesday 27 December. We will also be open as usual on New Year's Day.

Happy Christmas.