Castle Espie Wetland Centre is set on the shores of the stunning Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland where almost the entire population of Light-bellied Brent Geese reside during the winter months.Castle Espie Wetland Centre is open for business as usual but is undergoing essential redevelopment work, which when completed will make your visits to the centre even more memorable. The new development at WWT Castle Espie has been supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund and by many other generous funders, including Ulster Garden Villages, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Ards Borough Council, Biffaward, The Crown Estate, Better Belfast, Low Carbon Buildings Programme (BERR) and NIE SMART Programme. The work will enhance the reserve, its wildlife, flora and fauna and will ultimately demonstrate on one site how to restore saline lagoons, saltmarshes, limestone grasslands and freshwater lakes. Our new visitor centre opened on Saturday 25 April 2009 and as part of a phased development will be followed by a number of other developments until December 2010. We apologise for any inconvenience during the changes that are taking place. For further information please contact us on 028 9187 4146.
So much to see and do
- Learn how you can make a difference in the Sustainable Garden
- See the largest collection of ducks, geese and swans in Ireland
- Discover the Wet Woodland
See the amazing beauty of Strangford Lough - Fantastic views from the the Brent Hide
- Learning for everyone in the Education area
- Gallery/Coffee shop
- Gift Shop
- Play and picnic zone
- Stoat Town natural play area
Hides and nature walks allow you to get close to wild birds and the collection of endangered birds from around the world. This is a tranquil and friendly centre for all the family where you can find out more about Irish wetlands, and how you can save them for future generations.
Click on the images below for more details
