It’s that time of year again!
Local Dumfries & Galloway residents may have already seen the rumblings of this annual celebration around the county.
Every year, wild geese make their way from Svalbard, to the banks of the Solway. Their arrival is one of the great rhythms of Dumfries and Galloway, a reminder that the places we call home are connected to a much wider world.
Produced by The Stove Network, Wild Goose Festival brings people together through nature, creativity and place. Since 2020, it has invited people of all ages to walk, listen, learn, make and look again at the landscapes around them.
To honour the celebration, WWT Caerlaverock is teaming up with the Stove Network Team to provide some goose-themed events for you to enjoy during this year’s Wild Goose Festival.
The fabulous Loose Goose will be gracing our reserve next week, giving visitors and members the opportunity to creatively engage with the migrating barnacle geese family who joins us along the south coast of the county each year.
This art-inspired project invites you to contribute your thoughts, feelings, stories, and creative spirit to the project, sharing your personal goose experiences with the world. We want to show just how important these wintering birds are to our community, and this project will do just that. The Loose Goose will be travelling across the coastline collecting our communities’ stories and sharing them in a completed project later this month.
On top of this, we have announced our two WWT Caerlaverock events:
Wardlaw Walk
- Price: Free
- Date: Wednesday 14th October 2026
- Time: 9:30-12:30
We will be hosting a 6-mile guided circular walk, offering you the opportunity to see some of Caerlaverock's best sites, as well as the chance to learn about the history, geography, and goose stories of the area from one of our team members.
Starting at the Visitor Centre at WWT Caerlaverock, the group will be led up the hill to Wardlaw Viewpoint, a place where walkers can see way over the Solway Firth to the Lake District and far north to the Moffat Hills. Then, after enjoying the views, the group will be led down to Caerlaverock Castle, through the Castle Woods, and across the saltmarsh boardwalks back towards the reserve.
This event offers the chance to learn from the experts about the iconic barnacle geese found here during wintertime, why they've travelled this far, and how their journey has changed over the years.
Please note that the walk contains a medium-incline hill, so participants will need to be reasonably physically fit. Limited spaces available.
Dawn Flight
- Price: £15 each
- Date: Sunday 18th October
- Time: 06:45am to 08:30am
Come down to WWT Caerlaverock to see the spectacle of hundreds of barnacle geese take their morning flight from the merse overhead to the goose fields with the stunning sunrise as their backdrop. The event will be led by the WWT Caerlaverock team, who will teach you about the geese and their annual travels to our coastline as well as provide you with teas and coffees afterwards.
Very limited slots available, so don't miss out on this extremely special opportunity to get right up close to the geese down here on the Solway Firth.
Arrive at WWT Caerlaverock at 06:45. The group will then be led to the Saltcot Merse Observatory for the event. After sunrise, the group will be led back to the Visitor Centre for complementary teas and coffees.
Please note that the walk to the viewing spot is about half a mile long, guests will need to be fit enough to complete this walk before dawn on the day of the event. Limited spaces available.
Take a look at the Wild Goose Festival website for more information about what’s on!
Written by Georgia Pope, Engagement Officer
