WWT Washington — Attraction in Sunderland

Honestly? After the first time we came here we joined as members and cancelled our membership for another bird organisation as it paled in comparison. We were blown away by the scale of the place and the sheer variety of wildlife.

Even though it's a 40+ minute drive it's massively worthwhile going almost weekly for us. The site is huge, there is great natural biodiversity, the otter and flamingo talks are fantastic and we learn something new from the keepers every time despite having attended a lot of them! We have grown to love Mimi, Musa and Buster and even our toddler knows their names.

We love this place as much as our 3 year old does. The staff and volunteers are always helpful and friendly and engaging as well.

We don't have much disposable income nowadays with the cost of living crisis so the family membership is excellent value for us as we still get to have a great day out - every time - without a big price tag. Just the cost of the diesel. It means we are able to afford to spend in the gift shop every now and then because the days out we enjoy at the Wetland centre are affordable for us as a family. It's also not somewhere you feel uncomfortable bringing your own picnic. The cafe is extortionate but the one time we were caught short due to poor planning we must admit the food was very nice and the young lad that served us was very pleasant.

Washington Wetland centre is somewhere that offers you something different in each season, there are always plenty of different events an opportunities on (we particularly enjoyed the Lego event), and the experience isn't negatively impacted by the weather. My other half might disagree with me on that bit.

Another positive for us is that, as a family with young children (I.e. not keen birders with expensive equipment) we are able to see a lot of the birds quite close up without needing binoculars. It sounds small, but when you're wandering round alternative sites seeing fewer birds than in your local park, it does make a huge difference. The bird areas are all clearly signed, and the guidebook with the map has some really handy information in about the birds. It feels wonderful knowing it's helping cultivate an interest in wildlife and stewardship for our toddler.

I don't think we will ever get bored of coming to this place - I can't sing its praises or recommend it to others enough. And no, nobody paid me to write this review...

Disappointed Visit – Felt Unwelcome Due to Discounted Tickets

We visited today using discounted tickets through my friend’s work. As two mothers of young children, we always look for more affordable ways to enjoy a day out—especially during the summer holidays—so these tickets were a great option for us. However, on arrival, we were met with a rude and unnecessary comment from the woman at reception, who pointed out that it’s a charity-based centre and said our ticket price “wouldn’t even feed the otters.” This was said with clear attitude and made us feel judged and very unwelcome. It's not our fault these tickets are available—we were still paying customers and expected to be treated with respect.

The café prices were also outrageous—absolute daylight robbery. I’d really like to know if the café profits actually go toward supporting the charity or if it’s run separately as a business, because the prices were shocking.

As for the visit itself: yes, it’s a nice walk and the kids’ park is good, but unless you’re into bird watching, there’s not a lot else to see. Very few animals, and honestly, not worth full price in our opinion.

I’ve contacted the centre directly about our experience today and I’m currently waiting for a response. Sadly, we left disappointed and likely won’t return.

One star because it wouldn't let...

Lovely midweek day here in the summer holidays. The carpark was busy but we parked easily in a disabled space and once inside everyone was spread out so it wasn't crowded at all. The centre do a free carer ticket for disabled people- I had my PIP letter as proof but didn't need it. The staff (volunteers) were so lovely, they explained the shorter and longer walk, advised us of the otter and flamingo talk times, and gave the girls a trail to follow. Unfortunately the trail was the longer (3 mile) walk which I couldn't manage, but there are scooters to hire which in hindsight I could/should have done in advance. The wildlife is lovely, it's a beautiful walk around and there are ample noticeboards to identify the birds, as well as plenty of seating for rests. We had a picnic by the lake but there is a cafe with a wide selection of hot and cold food, drinks and ice creams. The girls really enjoyed the water science section and the play area. The otter and flamingo talks were done by the same keeper who was brilliant and highly knowledgeable despite saying she'd only been there a few weeks. There is a large gift shop at the end selling a range of bird/wildlife...