Beware of the ducks

As a mother of a toddler, who is always looking for exciting and interesting places to take him, and someone who has always liked birds (I was a member of the Young Ornithologists Club in Primary school – geek!), Castle Espie has proven time and time again what a great place it is for young and old alike.

Fun at the woodland play area

My family has been heading to this tranquil place just outside Comber, on the shores of Strangford Lough,  for many years and it holds lots of happy memories for us but it’s really come into its own for us over the past few years since having R. From feeding the hungry ducks to having a wee walk round and then relaxing with a coffee and scone in the cafe, Castle Espie is accessible, interesting, peaceful and lots of fun for little ones.

Flying ducks!

R is pretty obsessed with ducks and can often be found telling the baby ducks wee stories or carefully distributing (aka firing) bird seed at the many species of ducks that can be found here.

The centre is famed for the influx of Brent Geese which fly from the Arctic each year to set up home for the winter but all year round colourful ducks potter around the water so it’s worth a visit during any season. We pay around £5 per month for a family yearly subscription and considering we go at least twice a month, we certainly get the value of being a member. We’re  looking forward to letting Rudy show our new arrival (ETA around Christmas/New Year) around too!

There are always lots of events happening for children and a little softplay room beside a shop which sells all manner of lovely (mostly duck themed) toys, books and gifts.

So if you’re looking for somewhere lovely for a dander round to feed some ducks and have a nice wee few hours out   check it out – I’m sure you’ll love it!

Feeding frenzy