Revisiting RSPB’s Fairburn Ings

This weekend we headed to our local RSPB Fairburn Ings. We’ve recently become RSPB members again after cancelling during Lockdown. So it’s time to start making the most of our new membership!

You might have read about my first visit to Fairburn Ings back in 2019 but there is a good chance you won’t remember it. In my review I talked about how badly signposted the reserve was and how unclear it was which trail you were walking on. So let’s see what’s new and what has improved…

As members you get free parking and save yourself £4. So with our cards displayed in the window we headed out without the pram. We decided we’d do a short walk with our toddler to let her explore her first reserve with no restrictions! We’d also brought our dog Newkee along too.

First stop was the visitor centre. We grabbed a map from the friendly volunteers and chose our routes. We’d be starting with the Discovery Trail which was recommended as the shortest trail great for little legs.

Map at the ready and wellies on in case it rains we were ready for a new adventure!

We stopped by the same owl sculpture as last time but whilst the owl hasn’t changed, our family certainly has! 6 years older, our dog no longer a puppy and now a baby in the mix too!

First stop on the discovery trail we walked by the pretty Wildlife Garden. This is a cute decorative space that you can’t enter but it’s nice to admire and appreciate.

The discovery trail is still as pretty as before and Hilda loved to walk along the bridges. She also liked to peer over at the ponds whilst noseying at kids doing some pond dipping. We will come back and give this a try with her when she’s a little older!

The pickup hide is along the trail too. We never stop at these for long but they are brilliant if you are an avid bird watcher. A kingfisher was spotted earlier in the day we visited and everyone was quite excited about that!

The visitor centre is cute inside with a little book swap and gift shop. No dogs allowed and the cafe was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday in half-term! We didn’t stay for long given we had our dog with us but we sat outside and enjoyed lunch on the tables in the sun.

Hilda even went hedgehog hunting.

We headed back to our car to grab the pram before walking our next trail. We decided to go for the Ray Taylor trail, also recommended by the volunteers. This 1.5 mile route said it would take 45 minutes to walk and loop us round to where we started. It turned out to be the same route we took back in 2019. Back then it was named the Coal Tips Trail.

This trail is pleasant, a little hilly but nice and peaceful with far-reaching views. It was great for a toddler because she could run around without coming into contact with too many people.

As always Hilda wanted to walk Newkee after a while so keeping her in the pram was a lost cause.

In 2019, the lack of signposting was a big issue. You couldn’t tell which route you were on because it wasn’t obvious. This time, unfortunately, it had not improved at all. You can even see where there should be signs and they’ve been removed – The volunteers weren’t even sure why.

At one point we headed down the path we thought might be the Roy Taylor trail but it turned out to be the Riverbank trail. We only knew this by asking someone already on the trail. We turned back and headed the other way. You’ll know if you are on the Roy Taylor Trail because you’ll come to a junction and going right will keep you on the right track.

Don’t bother looking out for the totem pole listed on the map as this is no longer here either.

We did find one on the opposite side of the loop towards the end so perhaps they’ve got the map marked wrong.

Overall it’s a great easy walk once you know you are on the right path!

Heading back to the visitors centre we realised the reason we came to this one especially was because the RSPB website lists that it has a playground. We hadn’t spotted one on the way in but I noticed it mentioned it on the map.

After speaking with the volunteers they said there used to be one but this was no longer here. Instead there was only a den building area in the woods. We followed the sign leading to the bug village and found a bundle of pretty impressive creations. The Willow Discovery area.

We said hello to the bugs and weaved in and out of the hedges that snaked around. The tunnels created from vines were cool too. I really liked this part of the reserve but it’s easy to miss if you’re busy looking at the visitor centre and don’t spot it behind you!

Another great day at an RSPB Nature Reserve. It’s been a fab start to our new membership and even with the lack of signage I still think this is worth visiting. Once you get used to the routes i’m sure it gets even easier to follow. If it keeps the toddler and dog happy, it’s good enough for me!