If you’re looking for a great family day out this spring, a quiet and peaceful place to relax and leave the city behind for an hour or two, look no further than Newport Wetlands Nature Reserve. Offering a variety of interesting walking trails including the Wales Coast Path, with stunning views across the Severn Estuary with seasonal nature trails and spotting sheets to keep all ages entertained all year round.

It has it all, beautiful scenic walks where you can explore and spot hundreds of diverse types of animals, insects and wildlife, as well as exciting led events every school holiday with activities such as pond dipping, barefoot trails and mud flinging!

Walking trails are flat, well surfaced and suitable for prams, pushchairs and wheelchairs, and there are three mobility scooters for hire from the visitor centre.

Among many of the different trails, walks and cycle paths around the reserve, no matter what part you’re in, you'll always enjoy a spectacular view, whether it’s of the Severn estuary or the beautiful surrounding countryside – stop at the lighthouse and gaze for miles out to sea and observe the stunning Welsh coastline.

At the RSPB visitor centre, you can enjoy a bit of retail therapy or have a nice relaxing sit down, with a delicious bite to eat and a gorgeous coffee after your epic day of adventure and discovery. The café boasts fantastic views where you can have hours of fun watching the coot and moorhen chicks learn how to feed with their parents.

And when Voice visited recently, we got the chance to photograph its fabulous range of vegan and vegetarian meals, which included Thai green lentil soup, Sweetcorn chowder, Jacket potato with Bengal veg curry or smokey three bean chilli.

As well as offering delicious homecooked meals, the visitor centre additionally offers everything you need to feed the birds in your garden, lovely gifts for birthdays and special occasions or just if you want to treat yourself to a new set of binoculars.

All profits from the shop and cafe support the work of the RSPB.

As part of the Living Levels Partnership scheme, funded by HLF, the team at Newport Wetlands are creating some new interpretations to help visitors enjoy the site even more, and understand how important it is for people and wildlife. 

Working with local artists, they are creating a bronze relief model and a steel etched timeline, which will show some of the historical events that shaped the Gwent Levels, and how the area helps to control flooding. 

They’ll also have an exhibition in the visitor centre with an illustrated map of the Gwent Levels, a poem by a local poet, and a handling collection of tools and artefacts from mesolithic times.

Miranda Krestovnikoff, wildlife presenter and president of the RSPB, will launch the new interpretation at Newport Wetlands. There will be lots of activities and demos to celebrate the history and natural heritage of the Gwent Levels. So, set a date in the diary for Saturday, June 8.

Newport Wetlands is open every day, except Christmas Day, from 9am to 5pm, with the Coffee Shop open from 10am to 4pm.

Treat the family to a fabulous day out of discovery this March at the Newport Wetlands.

Newport Wetlands

West Nash Road, Newport NP18 2BZ

01633 636363

www.rspb.org.uk/newportwetlands

newport-wetlands@rspb.org.uk