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The Great Britain Guide

Forests & woodlands · Northern Ireland

Castle Espie Wetland Centre

Free admission

Castle Espie Wetland Centre is a forest or woodland in the United Kingdom.

Castle Espie Wetland Centre, forests & woodlands in Northern Ireland

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Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–3 h
  • Free entry
  • Family-friendly
  • Dog-friendly

About

Castle Espie Wetland Centre is a named forest, woodland or nature reserve in the United Kingdom. Address: 78, Ballydrain Road, Comber, BT23 6EA. Opening hours: Mo-Su 10:00-17:00. Coordinates: 54.5311°, -5.6929°.

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From the Wikipedia article

Castle Espie is a wetland reserve managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) on the banks of Strangford Lough, three miles south of Comber, County Down, Northern Ireland, in the townland of the same name. It is part of the Strangford Lough Ramsar Site. It provides an early wintering site for almost the entire Nearctic population of pale-bellied brent geese. The Castle which gave the reserve its name no longer exists.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

There is archaeological evidence from the Mesolithic period at the site. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, lime was quarried at the site, and processed in Hoffmann kilns. In the nineteenth century, there were also brickworks on the site. The site has been managed by WWT since 1990. ==Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch

Description

It has the largest collection of ducks, geese and swans in Ireland. In addition to the reserve, the site contains The Kingfisher Kitchen, gift and book shop, The Graffan Gallery, exhibition areas, hides, woodland walks, sensory garden, events and activities, free parking, a picnic area The Visitor Centre features award-winning sustainable design including rain water harvesting, natural reed bed filtration systems for waste water, solar power and provides sweeping vistas of the northern shore of Strangford lough from the Kingfisher kitchen.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
54.5311, -5.6929
Postcode
BT23 6EA
Parliamentary constituency
Strangford
Opening
Mo-Su 10:00-17:00
Official site
www.wwt.org.uk

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Castle Espie Wetland Centre?
Castle Espie Wetland Centre is in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (postcode BT23 6EA).
Is Castle Espie Wetland Centre free to visit?
Yes, Castle Espie Wetland Centre is free to enter.
How do I get to Castle Espie Wetland Centre?
Drivers can navigate to postcode BT23 6EA. It sits within the Strangford parliamentary constituency.