As well as being good for serious birdwatchers this is family friendly and a great place to get close to nature. Well laid out. Loved the 360° bird hide. Have never seen so many woodpeckers. Varied walk through the reserve. Otter and flamingo talks not on at the moment nor bird feeding due to bird flu. Lego safari very impressive. Nice cafe and small shop.

Lovely day out lots to see and do. Kids enjoyed it. Paths suitable for wheelchairs and prams. Clean toilets, well priced cafe and gift shop.

Excellent.... was not expecting it to be as good as it was. Favourite part, I must say was the Hawthorn wood hide. Pleasant and helpful staff from walking in. Has play area, cafe, picnic tables etc. Have a look-see.

Great day outdoors, lots to see and do The cafe was nice but a little pricey We had fun and got some sun Toilets were interesting! Compost toilet but very clean. There is 2 play parks which my 3 year old loved

I'm trying to visit all WWT sites and this was another beauty. It felt more on the wild side rather than the tourist side (which I see as a good thing) with the wildlife quite rightly at the centre. Enjoyed a walk along the river visiting all the hides and watching a great variety of birds.

Had a lovely walk around the park, plenty of seating to relax and enjoy the birds, peace, quiet and sun. There was a good selection of birds and the otters were out and about. The paths a little rough at times, go down to the river and part was cordoned off due to some birds being in isolation. All paths were around a mile long, but plenty of seats, found out you can borrow mobility scooters which helps for those less mobile, book before arriving as it can get busy on certain days. You can drop off at the door too as it has a rather steep walk from carpark to entrance, not a long walk . A nice cafe with viewing over one of the lakes, also outside area. A gift shop for retail therapy. Noticed an ice cream van as we were going around which opens in high season. They do talks again check when these are on. Kids I suspect will enjoy the play area and bug areas, looked good fun. Various ponds, lakes, viewing hides and river.

Such a lovely day. The place has really developed over the years since we last visited but still retains its sense of calm, beauty, and foremost wildlife. My dad has mobility issues, so we borrowed a wheelchair. All areas were accessible, including the hides. We didn't get around everything but can do this on our next visit. The staff were really helpful. We were able to drive closer to the entrance for easy access for my dad too. The cafe was well stocked, nice and clean and the staff were lovely. I would recommend for all ages.

Absolutely brilliant. A great way to get in touch with nature. Plenty to see and hear. A lovely place to be. Plenty of wildlife hides with helpful information dotted at key points and areas. Staff really friendly and helpful. Please support this place!

Washington Wetlands Trust, lovely visit. Have lived in Tyneside for over a decade and never visited before and did not realise it has links with Sir. Peter Scott and Slimbridge. Well worth a visit. So many different species. Cafe, hides and visitor center.

We had a lovely time. Kids loved the playground and the otters. Clean and tidy. Nice walk.

Beautiful place, we won tickets for wwt, but even if we paid the full price, we'd still be happy, such a lovely place to explore, and every single member of staff are lovey. Pond dipping is so interesting, and we got up close and personal with a cheeky little frog, we also got a friend in the shape of a cricket who wouldn't leave my hand. The bird feeding areas are excellent, up close and personal to geese and ducks is a delight. Would highly recommend, and is definitely a day out and some Thanks

Visited in February school holidays with 9 Yr old and 4 year old. We spent a couple of hours there, but could have easily doubled that if we went earlier in the day. Place is lovely and the staff were lovely. Puddle jumping event was on and it was great! Highly recommended and we will be back again! Take spare clothes for the kids if there are puddles!

Great day out with the grandkids. Lots to see. Kids took binoculars and loved trying to find all the birds and insects on the sheets provided. Cafe food although nice is limited so best to take a picnic with plenty of areas to eat.

Amazing place to visit staff all very nice. very clean and well kept place. Great to walk around and see birds and animals. Lots of bird hides to sit in . Good cafe over looking the pond ..... but nothing for a vegan option well 1 kind of cake but no sandwiches

Absolutely fantastic day out! Plenty to see including Asian Short-claw otters and some snazzy flamingos. There are so many different types of waterfowl so if you love ducks - it’s absolutely worth a visit. With a wee walk you can get down to the river Wear and can see a lot of the native waterfowl. I wasn’t lucky enough to spot a European otter, though they’re known to be spotted in the area. The cafe is a touch on the pricey side, however they offer a brilliant selection of cakes, pastries, toasties, pies and ice cream. I’ve signed up for the membership so it 100% will be a frequent visit for me and my 18mo daughter!

Brilliant day out. Lots of different things to do and see, great for kids and adults. Staff were friendly and helpful too. Thoroughly recommend

Very impressive..didn’t know we have this gem not far from we live. Interesting park that you might forget your are in the UK because of the vegetation diversity in this park. Glad it’s open all year long and definitely will visit in again in winter

We visited for the first time today. Great family day out our boys had a great time spotting different birds, insects and exploring their habitats. We stayed for lunch which we got in the cafe the kids meal was a goodnsize for the price and we highly recommend recommend soup of the day (carrot and corriander on this occasion) We will definitely be back soon.

Fantastic day out, kids loved feeding the birds and leaning about the flamingos. Definitely recommend a visit and Cafe on site with good food. Pond experience was loved by the kids who enjoyed fishing for bugs to look at using the special camera.

Brilliant place! You need to sign up for a year, there’s too much to see on one day, kids loved it. It’s around £70 a year for a family one adult with kids membership, I’ve only just joined so can’t comment on the details of going back as a member but will update later (didn’t receive my email so just waiting for cards in the post) we will be making weekly visits, it’s a lovely little walk around. Just wish I joined sooner.

This is an amazing place to visit. My 4yr old loved. Never saw the otters on our visit because the weather was so hot they were in the water out of site. The daughter thought the play park and rates it very highly. We liked it that much that we became members. It's well worth a visit, it's a great day out.

Great day out at Washington WWT, really fun for the kids and plenty to do for them, without kids you can easily spend a full day there and take a nice slow walk round. Rained today but didn't spoil it at all, plenty of hides and tree canopies to take cover under. The whole place is spotless, didn't notice one piece of litter the whole way around. Nice cafe on site with plenty of selection, we got a few bits but we took a picnic as usual, not many actual areas to sit and eat but there's enough places to rest of you take your own food. Will definitely be back

Absolutely my favorite nature reserve in the East. Highly suggest going there before 11:30, so you can see the staff feeding and giving lectures for otters and flamingos. I am very fond of their otter family and you can look them up close. They also have various types of birds, such as the smallest Swan Coscoroba swan in the world, black swans, Empress gooses, etc. Their design for the nature view is also very pretty, the whole environment is quite friendly to the animals and convenient for the tourists to walk around. Only a few pounds are not clean enough, but the majority of the park is good. Suggest taking 1 hour here, and more fun if you come with family or friends.

My First visit and very impressed by the mix of visitor attraction and nature reserve. It had something for families, birders, and casual visitors. The cafe is excellent and good value. If you live local I would highly recommend it, and if you don't it is worth seeking out.

We visited the wetlands centre a few days ago. Had a lovely day, saw goosander, godwit, redshank, nuthatch, lapwing, curlew among the more usual sightings for us. The paths are well marked, plenty of toilets and sanitiser stations around the site. Good social distancing. We visited after the school holidays has finished so not too busy. Would highly recommend.

Myself and grandchildren really enjoyed our visit .. It rain constantly and we still loved it . The Otter and Flamingo talks were high spot . . . We dried out in restaurant and then went to water section of the play park... We struggled to get them home . We still had more to explore but ran out of time .

Staff were really helpful. Loads to do with the kids even with social distancing going on. Hides were great for photography too. Most of the areas were accessible by mobility scooters and wheelchairs. Plenty of hand sanitiser available and the hides were disinfected regularly. Really tempted to get a family membership as we live a short drive away.

Wonderful place up here from Somerset and done slimbridge many times . This is so different wonderfully laid out so pleased we had the opportunity to call in . Every member of staff was above and beyond helpful big thanks to the guy in the cafe the tea was first class and a big thank you for the mince pies .

It looks like a good place for introducing kids to wildlife with lots of information boards and interactive things for them. It's all nicely sing posted to get round or you can buy a guide book. Good paths for wheelchair or buggies. Nice cafe and shop on hand to as well as a large carpark. Brown singed off the A19. I only went to see the otters but will call in again in the future

We have been members here for sometime, and continue to keep it up as we all love trips here. Several walk-length options, loads of birds including Flamingos and Crane, Otter enclosure, wild bird hides, marshland area. Playpark has a water play area, sand area and traditional playpark items and is open (apart from certain time during the day for cleaning). Café is lovely when it's back open, as is the indoor education /play area that offers afternoon craft sessions on certain days. Lots of toilet facilities on site. Loads of free parking.

Large open park for wild life birds. The long walk along side the River Wear is beautiful. Bird hides are dotted are so you can watch birds.

Great place to visit as always, plenty of space to walk around and spend the day

WWT is a great place to visit whatever your age. Gentle walks or longer hikes, it's up to you. My only suggestion in the current situation is that they provide some sort of sheltered area for picnics, like perhaps the decking behind the cafe. They are serving takeaway food and drink, which is brilliant, but on a day like today when it bucketed down there was nowhere sheltered to have it, so we reluctantly left to have a picnic in the car instead, but would have liked to enjoy the site a little longer.

Lovely place with a variety of birds. Had a relaxing time having a walk around seeing the different birds, otters and feeding the ducks. Very enjoyable, lovely staff and nice cafe too. A great place to bring kids for a day out to see some wildlife. Would like to visit again in the future.

A brilliant afternoon out! Lovely park, well laid out and accessible for pushchairs, wheelchairs etc. (Powered wheelchairs available to borrow.) Cheap entrance fee. Knowledgeable keepers who gave very informative talks while feeding otters & flamingos. Lots of fun science education features for children. Some wonderful wildlife specimens and an amazing variety of wetlands birds. Open every day of the year except Christmas day. We went on New Year's Day and it was thriving.

Lovely day at the Wildfowl and Wetlands centre. Lots of wildlife to see in great surroundings. Really enjoyed the hides to watch the birds coming and going. Would highly recommend for all ages. The only disappointment was the food in the cafe. The staff were lovely , friendly and pleasant. The hot food was awful. Microwaved and rubbery. The veggie pie was awful and the mince and dumplings were full of greasy fat. And no gravy. I like crunchy al dente vegetables but these veggies were rock hard. The cakes and scones were dry the scone crumbled to bits when cut ooen as it was so dry. . The cups of tea were nice even though in paper cups as they'd ran out of crockery! £35 for food that wasn't good to eat. So next time we will bring a flask and a packed lunch. It won't stop us visiting the centre though.

Nice place for the family to see some wildlife! Shame that the Flamingos and Cafe were closed!

Fabulous location for spotting and photographing wildlife and wildfowl. This is a huge expanse of land with many lakes and ponds and a stretch of the River Wear too. Paths are well maintained and mostly level. A good looking cafe and gift shop too, although I did not eat there.

Luckily I picked a gorgeous day for it...educational and interesting..took my 3yr old granddaughter (free entry for her ) a lot of walking, she did get a bit bored in-between ,but we soon found something interesting to look at or jump over

A perfect outing when the sun shines, and fun for the whole family. Super helpful and friendly staff who make learning about these beautiful animals fun

Always a breath of fresh air! We saw a group of 20+siskins near the dragonfly ponds - beautiful

Wonderful place. I went on the recommendation from a colleague and loved it. Amazing to see the flamingos and cranes.

Amazing! Lots to see.

Nice for a walk about for a couple of hours, lovely surroundings and views. The play area is nice and theres additional areas for picnics and swingball. The slimbridge WWT has more birds, ducks, geese around to feed... but it's a lovely afternoon out.

Once pleasant place too visit

Haven't visited in years but lovely place for a walk. Some areas shut due to covid but still worth a visit

A tranquil oasis in this mad World we live in.

Well laid out and maintained, loved the otters!

Nice enjoyable and kids love it

Enjoyable day. Staff doing an amazing job given the current situation. Well done guys

Really enjoyed the visit huge selection of wildlife in very nice surrounding's

Beautiful walks suitable for all the family. Wheelchair and pram accessible. Lots to see and do. Staff are very friendly and helpful. Stunning in every season!

What a lovely hidden gem, a good 2 hour walk around the park and lots of wildlife to see. A small activity park for children too.

Very nice walk around substantial grounds. Wild life as well as wide variety of foreign birds. Loads to see. Very informative talks about outers and flamingos. Very nice day out with the whole family. And a hot drink in the cafe

We love WWT Washington, it's such a great day out for all ages. Beautiful settings, amazing wildlife and lots to keep kids interested. We're so lucky to have a WWT location here in the North East, it's the one membership we use more than any other locally.

So pleased the wonderful Washington Wetlands is back open again. I've had a fantastic time with the family today. The staff were so welcoming and helpful and even with a few attractions out of bounds there's still plenty to do!

Making a real effort through tricky times, a beautiful space of calm serenity, with some lovely take out snacks too!

Great place to visit, well managed especially with current restrictions. Unfortunately the hides are currently closed but understandable.

Always a pleasure visiting. A great place to relax calm and serene and who.could forget the little otters.

Lovely place to visit, plenty to see even saw an Egret

Nice big park, plenty of bird life. The cafe was closed due to the all prevailing virus, but you could get coffee and sausage rolls from within the reception. ( That's what I had anyway)

Nice afternoon for families. Plenty of wildfowl and some otters to see.

It's peaceful and interesting. Great play area for children and fabulous walks to discover new things.

Lovely place to walk round and feed the birds and watch the otters

Not much here for the price only good if you like walks and a lot of ducks

Amazing

Beautiful place for a stroll, with many birds to watch out for.

Average. A lot of things were closed and was mainly ducks in ponds and some flamingos. Came for the play area which is small and the water was turned off due to covid. It’s nice if you haven’t been, but I won’t go again as morning to do there really.

Fantastic. Fresh air and feathered friends What more could you wish for 😊

My family and I had a lovely day out at the WWT Washington (we went during Covid-19). The facilities were excellent and I noticed they were regularly cleaned. The children's play park, for instance, was closed to allow the slides, climbing frames and swings to be disinfected. The play park was suitable from under 1 right up to 10 and beyond. Hand sanitiser was situated after each gate and at the toilets and play park. You need a face mask for the entrance and the limited temporary cafe, as this is all covered. We bought some bird seed for £1 upon entering, but none of the birds were that interested in food (probably because everyone throws seed all day). The birds and other wildlife and the play park were great and kept our 3 year old interested in the walk. There were plenty of spots for a picnic too. Would definitely recommend.

Nice place to take the kids, lovely walks

It was ok. Its expensive for what it is. I wouldn't go back

Great walk easy level.

Quiet. Lots of birds. Be

Would of been 5 stars but I can't give 5 for any place that sells food at such exorbitant prices £5 for a hotdog?

Love this place we go regularly and they have adapted well to covid and lots of places to have picnics outside the cafe is open but you have to take it outside as takeaway the kids love the play area too and if all else fails play in puddles

Very enjoyable

Great day out will be back