WWT Caerlaverock is reopening

A wilder wetland experience returns

WWT Caerlaverock is reopening from Thursday 2 July.

Plan your visit and discover what’s changed at WWT Caerlaverock.

Set on the Solway Firth, this is a place of never-ending skies – a window on the wild Solway coast, where water meets land and wildlife thrives.

WWT Caerlaverock is WWT’s only Scottish site and sits in a landscape of international importance. It is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Ramsar site and forms part of a National Nature Reserve.

It is a gateway to the wilds of Scotland – a shifting landscape of saltmarsh, mudflats and coastal wet grassland, constantly shaped by the tides. Known historically as the ‘Castle of the Skylark’, it is a bastion of biodiversity and a stronghold of saltmarsh.

The reserve is reopening with a renewed focus as a wild wetland nature reserve. This means a simpler, more nature-led experience, centred on the habitats, species and seasonal spectacles that make WWT Caerlaverock so special.

From Thursday 2 July, WWT Caerlaverock will reopen three days a week – Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. As we move into the colder months and our winter wildlife season, we hope to increase the number of days we’re able to open.

You’ll still enter through the visitor centre, which remains open for admissions and information. However, there is no longer a café and shop. This allows us to focus our efforts on the reserve itself – creating a wilder, wetter landscape that supports wildlife and brings people closer to nature.

Experience one of Scotland’s most extraordinary wetland landscapes, with hides and observatories offering close views of seasonal wildlife from winter wildfowl to summer dragonflies.

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Your questions answered

Jump to questions about: Essential information for visitorsChanges at WWT CaerlaverockInformation for members

Essential information for visitors

: From 2 July, the site is open from 10AM to 5PM, with last entry at 4PM, on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday. As we move into the colder months and our winter wildlife season, we hope to increase the number of days we’re able to open.

Our admission prices remain the same. For full details or to buy a ticket online, see our tickets page.

Please note, there will be no cash accepted at the admissions desk, so visitors paying on the day will need to pay for their tickets by card.

: You’ll still enter the wetland reserve through the visitor centre, where there will be an admissions desk for members and paying visitors. You’ll also be able to find out information about the reserve and your visit, as well as use the centre to shelter and eat your own food. However, there is no longer a café and shop.

: Yes, toilet facilities remain open for all visitors.

: Drinking water is available, and there are places for you to picnic and eat your own refreshments. We no longer have a cafe, but we are looking at introducing some self-service drinks options in the future.

Yes, everyone still has full access to our hides.

Changes at WWT Caerlaverock

WWT Caerlaverock closed temporarily in December 2025, so we could restructure the team at WWT Caerlaverock and focus on making physical changes to our main entrance. We have moved from people working in our shop and cafe, to a team focussed on developing the reserve so it’s the best it can be for wildlife and people in the future. That meant we didn’t have the number of people needed to make sure we could offer visitors the experience that they expected.

During the closure, we’ve been working on site maintenance and improvements, alongside undertaking recruitment. This process took longer than we expected, and we sincerely thank everyone for their patience during this time. It was of the utmost importance we made sure we had the right people in post and fully trained to help our wetlands and wildlife thrive, before committing to a reopening date. We’re thrilled we’re now able to safely and sustainably welcome visitors back to the site.

: We're very pleased to have enough staff to reopen fully to visitors. Our site staff both new and existing are all brilliant and dedicated to making WWT Caerlaverock the best it can be for people and wildlife.

: We are committed to WWT Caerlaverock's long-term future as a wild, wonderful wetland experience. Financial sustainability is a core part of this plan, and we have changed the way we work and how our reserve team operates. So, from Thursday 2 July, we will reopen for three days a week, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

: As we move into the colder months and our winter wildlife season, we hope to increase the number of days we’re able to open. Please check our website and/or Facebook page before you visit in the future, to avoid disappointment.

We can’t wait to welcome you back onto the reserve, which looks magnificent 365 days a year, and especially when the wildflowers start blooming and the dragonflies begin flitting around the reedbeds in early summer.

When you visit us, you’ll see we’ve worked hard on general site maintenance to make sure our wetlands are doing the best they can to support the wildlife that call them home. That includes some winter coppicing of trees, shrubs and willow. We’re also transforming the Eastpark Farmhouse; sandblasting the walls to uncover its original beautiful red sandstone, installing a new roof, and redecorating so it's ready to be used as self-catered accommodation later in the year.

: Over the last 18 months, we’ve created lots of new wetlands close to the Glengoyne and Avenue tower hides that are proving popular with wildfowl and waders, bringing flocks of birds closer to our visitors. The interior of our Glengoyne hide has also had an artist’s makeover and new, quieter and more comfortable seating, inviting our visitors to linger that little bit longer as they enjoy the view.

Alongside general maintenance of our wetland habitats, a project funded by NatureScot called Wilder, Wetter, Caerlaverock also came to an end earlier this year.

This project saw extensive creation of wetland habitats across the site, designed in a range of forms to support different species, as well as new infrastructure to upgrade and improve our sustainable farming regime.

At the end of this three-year project, approximately 250 hectares of grassland was converted from intensively managed goose pasture to wet grassland, incorporating over 5 hectares of open water features. These include larger pools, scrapes, water channels, restored ponds and 33 newly created ponds designed specifically for natterjack toads.

A more sustainable and sympathetic grazing regime has been established, by removing internal field fencing to create larger management units, securing 9 km of field boundaries, constructing two cattle handling pens and installing three new water troughs. The trialling of NoFence GPS collars enabled this grazing system to be fine-tuned, maximising biodiversity benefits through targeted management.

These changes will take time to fully develop, but over the coming months and years, they will have a positive known-on impact for our incredible wetland habitats and the insects, amphibians, birds and mammals that depend on them.

Information for members

As a charity, we can’t do our work without the incredible support of our members and supporters, and we want to thank every single person who visits our sites, engages with our work and is helping us create a movement to protect our superpowered wetlands for generations to come.

We understand some members may feel they haven’t received the value they expected during this time. If this applies to you, please contact our supporter services team via email at supporter@wwt.org.uk or by telephone on 01453 891198, and we’ll be happy to discuss your individual circumstances.

Find out more details here.

: We are grateful for the continued support of every one of our members and hope that the changes to WWT Caerlaverock don’t result in cancellations. However, we understand that change isn’t easy and won’t work for everyone. If you would like to cancel your membership, please contact our supporter services team at supporter@wwt.org.uk.

: From volunteering and donating, to sharing our story and visiting our sites, there are many ways that you can support our work that we do to restore wetlands and unlock their powers. Please visit this page to find out the impact your donation could have.

We are WWT, the charity for wetlands and wildlife.

In a world full of challenges, we’re on a mission to restore wetlands and unlock their power. Because when wetlands thrive, so do we.