We decided to explore somewhere on our doorstep this week - East Cramlington Nature Reserve. We have visited a few times in the past when the kids were teeny and I used to sometimes visit with my friend when I was younger but it has been a good few years since our last visit.
There is a small free car park at the entrance along the B1326 from Cramlington to Seaton Delaval. If you are travelling from Cramlington hospital towards Seaton Delaval it is just before you get to the bend in the road. Use postcode NE23 6XF and continue driving along the road past Astor Court Care Home - the car park is on the left just before the bend.
The nature reserve is popular with dog walkers but it is pretty quiet - the perfect place to enjoy a socially distanced walk. We spotted a couple of people on our walk on a warm sunny day in half term but most of the time it was just us.
Dogs are welcome on leads - be mindful of Alabama Rot which there are sometimes reports of in the area (last reported 2 years ago - no reports at the moment May 2020)
There are no toilet facilities but there are plenty of bins and picnic tables so ideal for a quiet picnic.
Dogs are welcome on leads - be mindful of Alabama Rot which there are sometimes reports of in the area (last reported 2 years ago - no reports at the moment May 2020)
There are no toilet facilities but there are plenty of bins and picnic tables so ideal for a quiet picnic.
Just after the car park, there is an information board featuring some of the wildlife you may spot and details of a nature trail. Take a photo of the trail on your phone if you would like to follow it.
East Cramlington Nature Trail
Most of the paths are pushchair friendly and it is fairly flat - I would recommend an all-terrain pushchair if you are walking through the woods though and I imagine it may get muddy in wet weather. We walked 3000 steps around the trail but it would be easy to do more or less than this. It is only a small place so pretty difficult to get lost and it is toddler friendly.
If you decide to follow the nature trail, there are 12 plaques to find. They are pretty easy to spot, each with a different wildlife sign and it adds a little interest to the walk for kids.
There is a bird hide just after the information stand - if you are lucky you may spot a red squirrel too. The area is known for them.
East Cramlington Nature Reserve Pond
Shortly along the main path, you will find a pond - sometimes there are ducks and swans here and there are a couple of jettys where you can get a closer look. There is plenty of seating around the pond if you fancy a little sit down.
East Cramlington Nature Reserve - Woodland Area
After walking around the pond there is the option to walk through some woodland. Again, you can make this as long or short as you like and it is pretty small so it would be difficult to get lost. If your kids love pine cones, they will love it here as there are hundreds to collect.
There is lots of open grasslands too - as I say, lots of space. The area covers around 1 hectare in total.
We spent around 30 minutes at the nature reserve - it is an ideal spot to quickly stretch your legs if you are local to Cramlington.
The pond is home to frogs, toads and newts and in the autumn time, you can spot 1000s of toadlets making their way from the pond. We are going to return later in the year to see if we can spot any. You may spot various types of dragonfly too.
The pond is home to frogs, toads and newts and in the autumn time, you can spot 1000s of toadlets making their way from the pond. We are going to return later in the year to see if we can spot any. You may spot various types of dragonfly too.
Find out more here: https://www.nwt.org.uk/nature-reserves/east-cramlington-pond
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Please follow social distancing rules & Government guidelines , wash hands regularly and use alcohol hand gel (especially before eating), respect the local area. leave no trace, take litter home, park responsibly and if somewhere is busy on arrival, please consider leaving and returning at a later date. If you have any Coronavirus symptoms, please stay at home and follow NHS advice.
Always check updated opening hours / protocols / parking advice and charges with venues direct before setting off as things may have changed since this post was published.
Always check updated opening hours / protocols / parking advice and charges with venues direct before setting off as things may have changed since this post was published.
Click the posts below for ideas for things to do nearby:
Looks like a nice outdoor place to visit. Great for social distancing!
ReplyDeleteI'd never realised before how many nature reserves there are dotted about. We have one a few steps from our front door that we'd never really explored before and there are still another two a little further up the road that we haven't explored yet. This experience has been so good for discovering more in the local area!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for telling us about this place, we had a fab time with our 3 kids here today!
ReplyDelete