Looking out of my window this morning I spotted a glimpse of sunshine which meant only one thing…fresh air and adventures. Okay.. I think I was making it up. The moment we had a picnic packed and loaded the car there was nothing left but a grey sky and a hint of a black rain cloud threatening overhead. Undeterred we headed out to The Wolseley Centre, Nr Rugeley to explore the beautiful grounds.
The Wolseley Centre is Staffordshire Wildlife Trust’s HQ and is a hidden gem. Whats more it is completely free to visit. I was feeling quite smug that I had stumbled upon such a lovely place to explore that it totally free.
We were visiting without Mr S today, as he has been working away 🙁 but luckily it was well signposted off the main road, and super easy to find. On arrival there is a large car park which is completely free. A donation for the car park is greatly appreciated and contributes towards the Trust’s work protecting the wildlife. We parked up and headed to the gift shop to pick up a map, and left the gift shop armed with fishing nets, bug pots, and duck food. The girls always manage to con me into spending money.
We headed straight to the Play trail and I have a great tip for you here….perhaps leave this part until the end! I was unable to steer the girls away from the splash bridge…absolute heaven to a 2 year old and a 6 year old, even my little man’s face beamed from his pushchair. The girls spent ages splashing and jumping and tried their hand at a spot of fishing, before returning to the bridge for more splashing.
We tool a stroll around the lake and fed the ducks and geese with our food that we had purchased specially from the gift shop. M wasn’t too impressed with the geese so we didn’t hang around long here. The walk is lovely, it was really quite quiet, and there are lots of benches and picnic tables dotted around to stop and enjoy a drink and a picnic. Another thing that I really liked was that everywhere was really accessible with a pushchair. Visitors can also enjoy the sensory garden, wildlife life garden and 26 acres of beautiful grounds to explore.
It wasn’t long before the grey clouds turned into heavy rain, but the girls insisted on having a picnic, exploring the sensory garden and having a rest on the swing. Needless to say we were pretty wet by this point, so I let them return to the splash bridge for more water fun.. reminding myself that there is no such thing as bad weather…just a bad choice of clothes.
And yes my girls continued their wardrobe habit with a wet splashing walk in tutus. And yes I forgot M’s wellies – we left them behind last weekend. Maybe next time I will try to encourage the splashsuits…..and also remember appropriate footwear 🙂
Need to know;
Opening times – 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday
10am to 4pm Saturday & Sunday
Car parking – Free (a small donation is greatly appreciated)
Getting there – The Wolseley Centre is on the A51 near Rugeley (ST17 0WT)
I am linking up our visit to The Wolseley Centre with Coombe Mill for this week’s #CountryKids.
Mrs S
x
For more inspiration head over to the MiniMalpi for outdoor inspiration and a visit to Whisby Nature Park
