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WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre

WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre

WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre
4.5
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
About
WWT Martin Mere is located in Burscough, near Southport in West Lancashire. Enjoy splashing, playing, paddling and getting up close and personal with some of nature’s most wonderful wildlife. Living collection: Martin Mere has over 70 wetland species from across the globe. Take a walk around the amazing scenery and see flamingos, otters, spoonbills, common cranes, southern screamers, and a wide variety of ducks, geese and swans. Nature reserve: With 11 hides and 2 viewing screens, witness the courting of birds in the spring, raptors hunting in the summer, migration of pink-footed geese in the autumn, and the unforgettable honking of the whooper swans in the winter. Activities for all of the family: Explore our waters with our Canoe Safari, visit our craft room, hand-feed our birds, play on the HUGE adventure playground, and take part in pond dipping sessions. With activities and events throughout the year, there are plenty of reasons to keep coming back!
Duration: More than 3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

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  • valerie b
    Preston, United Kingdom70 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A lovely visit with an excellent lunch
    Always a lovely place to visit at any time of the year.It is wonderful to witness the Swan Feed . We had an excellent lunch in the Cafe before visiting other areas and the hides. Our lunch was reasonably priced, good value and well presented. Mark who was managing the cafe was on top of his game, everywhere was clean and nothing was left unattended. Plates, cups etc were removed speedily and table cleaned. A first class service and Mark is an asset to the Centre. We enjoyed our visit and will return soon.
    Thank you for your kind review, Valeria. We're pleased you've enjoyed your visit and we will let Mark know about his excellent feedback!
    Written February 2, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited January 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written January 25, 2024
  • Alexandra R
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful family afternoon
    What an absolutely fantastic day we had today at Martin Mere. A huge thank you to Rus and Sue on the main desk who just went above and beyond to help with accessibility for my 2 elderly parents, and also, I noticed, everybody else who approached them. (Visit 27/01/24 afternoon.)
    Thank you for visiting us and for your lovely review!
    Written February 2, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited January 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written January 27, 2024
  • holidayobsessed
    312 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Visit
    We enjoyed our visit and spent quite a few hours there. We saw plenty in spite of it being winter. I was pleased that I could access all the areas whilst pushing a wheelchair, even getting to some hides. Bring binoculars if you have them or can borrow some as it really improves your experience in the areas of the reserve where there are wild birds. We'll be back in spring.
    Hello, thank you for taking the time to leave us this kind review. We hope to see you back soon :)
    Written February 7, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written February 3, 2024
  • julie h
    Edinburgh, United Kingdom60 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mobility Scooter needs an upgrade
    Good set up, it was very quiet when we went as the local schools had been on half term the week before. Kids loved the play area (suitable for older kids), the otters and the flamingos. They enjoyed feeding the ducks. Cafe OK and nice products in the gift shop. I hired the mobility scooter which was handy, but I was expecting a more heavy duty/ road scooter, but it was quite a small one which felt a bit lightweight for the paths.
    Thanks for the review Julie, and I will feedback you comments regarding the mobility scooter :)
    Written April 11, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written March 19, 2024
  • LSunshine
    178 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    What a fabulous place
    We have just become members and absolutely love visiting here. We attend the giant duck hunt today which was great. The restaurant had stopped serving hot food as it was past 2.30pm but in the past we have been happy with the food and found it tasty. Just a lovely place to visit and spend the day, we can’t wait to go back for the duck race. The staff /volunteers are always so friendly and really make the day feel special.
    Thanks for the review, we'll see you back for the Duck Race!
    Written April 11, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written March 29, 2024
  • Lucy
    United Kingdom11 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Always a great day out
    Used to come here very regularly as wwt members, but then with bird flu and not being able to feed the ducks, we hadn't visited in about a year! Now feeding is back we decided to come with family and friends for a day out. Playground is great with a water bit too and walks around the place are great. We sometimes go on the canoes which are great and go in the hides which are reliable. Do recommend and will visit again 😁
    Thank you Lucy, we hope to see you again soon!
    Written April 11, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written April 3, 2024
  • Manky
    Bournemouth, United Kingdom261 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great bird hides!
    If you’re moaning about the price of the tickets, you obviously don’t know the work that is involved managing wetlands! Great day as a couple visiting all the numerous bird hides and looking at the collection inside the park itself. Great facilities and we made a full day of it and didn’t even manage the reed bed walk! We will be back.
    Thank you for your review, we're pleased to hear you'll be visiting again!
    Written June 14, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 4, 2024
  • Bookbuddy
    Southport, United Kingdom17 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth a visit. Take picnic to keep costs down.
    Went with our daughter and baby granddaughter for their second visit. We are all Boundless Members and my husband and I visit frequently. We visited on May half term Sunday but were puzzled by how quiet it was. We had a really lovely time. Baby loved all the ducks and swans and we visited the very clean cafe. Good high chairs. Nice soup and cakes. We do think however that more undercover picnic areas are needed because people are not allowed to bring their own food into the cafe and it would help to make the visit more affordable for families. Certainly when our own children were small we wouldn't have been able to afford the cafe on top of entrance fees. New visitors should be aware that the reserve is much bigger than the map you are given. The map needs redesigning to show the full extent of the site. You can easily spend most of a day there walking all the paths to the many hides. The staff are all lovely. Many are volunteers and were working hard to offer half term activities.
    Hello, thank you for your kind review! We do have an indoor picnic room that's open on weekends and school holidays, which can be found in the main building. In regards to the map, we will feed this back to our team to include the map of the reserve on the website. We hope to see you back soon!
    Written June 14, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written May 26, 2024
  • Gill M
    Manchester, United Kingdom4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Thoughtful for those with additional needs
    We have been here a number of times but today I was with a severely autistic child. We sat outside the cafe. Whilst having our drinks, a gentleman from the maintenance team approached me very diplomatically and quietly asked if he could bring his noisy machine close to us as some work needed to be done. He obviously noticed my grandson had sensory issues. I can't praise his actions enough. It shows thought and consideration and he is a credit to Martin Mere. Unfortunately I didn't get his name. Just a note about going there with children that have additional needs - from reception you can get a sensory pack. Included in the back pack were ear defenders, binoculars, sun glasses, a white board and pen and a notebook. You have to pay a deposit of £15 but that is returned when you hand the back pack back on your way out. This shows that WWT have put thought, time and effort into making a visit a much easier experience when the visitors have additional needs. With it being half term, there were different events/activities. We went to the meet and greet with Bing and Flop, the show with Bing and Flop and story time as well as pond dipping Overall we really enjoyed ourselves as did the children and we will be returning in the near future.
    Thank you so much for your kind review, we're so pleased you had a fantastic visit. We're going to speak with our teams to find out who the team member was, so we can let him know about your feedback. We hope to see you back soon!
    Written June 14, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written May 28, 2024
  • CLAIRE M
    Nantwich, United Kingdom245 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent views
    Revisited after years since our first visit & we weren’t disappointed. It was a beautiful day & the birds/ducks/geese were all in full view. Lots of young coots, water hens & shell ducks about which were so cute. It’s so nice to be able to see everything so close & the otters were great fun.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written June 25, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,070 reviews
Excellent
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271
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Poor
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john b
Manchester, UK5 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Couples
Visited Martin Mere on Wednesday 26th August 2020.Whilst we know there are restrictions concerning Covid we took to booking online in advance for a visit.The day was a complete and utter waste of time.The lady serving us when we arrived didnt advise us of any restrictions which soon became evident after we entered.We started to walk round and soon realised that the place was cordoned off in numerous places due to flooding. A one way system became confusing as they had not taken into consideration the areas that had been cordoned off because of the flooding
The amount of birds etc on view was minimal and I feel that my party was short changed.I came away very unhappy with my experience and was also unhappy that there was no compensation for the visit offered.
In hindsight we could have gone to Blacpool Zoo ,paid about £3 more and seen a lot more.
I will not be visiting again.
Written August 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robert M
Stoke-on-Trent, UK157 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
The wetland centre was established with the help of Sir Peter Scott, there is lots to see and good long walks to cover all the ground. We witnessed feeding time from the hides. The expert attendant gave a live commentary as she progressed through the teaming bird species. Anyone can enjoy this experience and I know that real bird watchers can find boundless pleasure and interest here. Discounts are available and the cost of the centre is mid range.
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JD S
Stockton-on-Tees, UK151 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
What a great place this is, value for a family entry was great and the kids enjoyed feeding the ducks with feed provided at a small surcharge.

The highlight was the canoe we hired £9 a boat for an hour was the best fun the kids had all day, so much fun and a new experience for them.

Even the gift shop wasn't too much of a rip off (which is unusual for this type of place)

We would definitely go again.
Written September 2, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Shirley H
Liverpool, UK14 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022 • Family
Visited recently on the 14th May with my Son & Family. Enjoyed walking around the park looking at all the wild life. Had food in the Cafe, Children chose the Kiddies brown paper lunch bags, choice of cheese or ham Sandwich, on arrival of the lunch bags we found there was only half a sandwich in each bag....come on Guys, surely you can spare 2 full rounds of bread per Kiddies bag, especially with the cost of the entrance fee. On leaving the park, we stopped to watch some of the ducks that were on dry land. We noticed that one poor female duck looked like she was being attacked by approx another 12 -15 ducks, a member of our party clapped her hands to try and stop the aggression to no avail, so just stepped over the small fence to shoo them away! Next minute we were met by 2 female members of Staff must say in their latter years, rudely shouting “ what do you think your doing”, speaking to us like we were Kiddies at school. We explained the situation that we were concerned for the welfare of the female duck, and was rudely told “that’s how they mate” Well I have since found out that the drakes can be very aggressive when mating and can kill or smother the Female duck! If the 2 members of staff in question had been paying attention instead of sat around having a Mother’s meeting so to speak, this would not of happened! Maybe it’s time you 2 ladies retire!!
Written May 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chris M
Hemel Hempstead, UK41 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
I am up in Southport for an holiday and decided to pick this wetland centre for a visit.
I was astounded by the amount of different animals that visit here including loads of different ducks and birds from overseas as well as otters ,storks, flamingos .
The centre is open from 9-30 till 18-00 hours summer and we had 3 hours there and didn't do all of the site.
I will be definitely going back to do the 2nd part next time im up this way and it is a real gem and ideal for families to take children too.
They have a restaurant looking over the lake although some of the services are not available at moment due to Covid but price was excellent value for money.
Written July 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Super Mummy
15 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2020 • Family
We had a lovely day out at Martin Mere this week. The staff are really helpful and they are regularly going around sanitising fences, gates and picnic tables. Just remember to take your own food. I just hope they can start selling food and gifts so that they can start to make more money.
Written June 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Eric S
Southport, UK43 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
We have lived in Southport since 2011 but never visited Martin Mere, thinking it too expensive. It was my 81st birthday & we pre booked a visit with our eldest daughter. I bought a mobility for the occasion as I can't walk far. The area was composed of set pieces like an open air zoo which being a photographer was not what I wanted. There was another area which I believe was more akin to what I wanted, but it looked like there were no set paths. We eat in the cafe & all had fish & chips, the best but most expensive I've had.
Written July 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Charlotte R
4 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
We are regular visitors and enjoy Martin Mere. It’s always a great day out for all ages with lots to see and do. However, the prices in the cafe are truly ridiculous! Don’t forget to pack a lunch or you could be faced with having to pay too much for very average food (a piece of cake over £4 and a sausage roll £4 Panini £10!) The cafe used to be so accessible…sausage sarnies and a microwave for heating baby food. All of this has gone! There are now signs everywhere reminding you that only rip-off cafe food can be consumed inside.

Toilets were dirty today too, which surprised us as the standard of cleanliness is usually good.

As regular visitors we have started to notice that the place is in need of a bit of updating. The bug hotel structure is clearly degrading and some of the exhibits are looking a bit tired.

A good day out for the family but prices need to reduce.
Written May 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

maggie23
Skelmersdale, UK81 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
I loved this place having visited for the first time in July and enjoyed it so much we have joined the trust and visited again in August. I just wish public transport was better and a bus stop was nearby. The joy of sitting and watching the wildlife in such a well looked after safe environment. The staff and volunteers are really kind and helpful. I love the cranes and the storms. The otters are so cheeky.
Written August 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jennie B
12 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021
Great place to visit for anyone who enjoys fresh air and nature. My grandson is eleven years old and autistic, he loved the Halloween Trail finding the answers to the questions set on the map. The staff and volunteers are helpful and knowledgeable. I would advise you take along a packed lunch (weather permitting) as the only eatery on site is like a school dinner hall and extremely expensive!
Written November 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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