Nature paths suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs will wind you around a stunning, safe wetland habitat littered with pockets of woodland and wildflower meadows, and the friendly Kingfisher Tearooms is a great place to you recharge with friends and family. Hides allow you to get up close and personal with birds such as woodpeckers and kingfishers and during your wander you may also encounter mammals such as roe deer and hedgehogs. The ponds provide a home for newts, frogs and whirligig beetles with staff on hand to show you the best spots for pond dipping. The meadows during summer are full of butterflies including small tortoiseshell, in comparison to a snow laden winter where you may be lucky enough to spot our overwintering bitterns – this globally threatened species is a real highlight for any wildlife watcher.
Come summer vivid purple loosestrife and Southern marsh orchids provide plenty of colour.
The Potteric Carr Nature Reserve trail guide* is available to download below, which includes a map with all the hides and paths marked on so that you don’t miss out any of the wonderful habitats and species during your visit. Also don’t miss out on the Minibeast Totem Pole trail, which has a podcast put together by Pheasant Bank Academy.
For an idea of the geat array of wildlife that can be discovered on the nature reserve take a look at our latest sightings blog.
Please note we unfortunately do not allow dogs or bikes onto the reserve as they may disturb or harm our wonderful wildlife.
Volunteering at Potteric Carr
To find out more about how to get involved at Potteric Carr, including our regular practical conservation task days, please see our volunteering pages.
Education at Potteric Carr
Potteric Carr also offers a fantastic education programme, working with children, young people and adults to encourage a love and understanding of Yorkshire’s amazing wildlife!
For more information about visiting Potteric Carr or getting involved in volunteering, send an email to potteric.carr@ywt.org.uk or call 01302 570077.
www.ywt.org.uk/potteric-learning
Potteric Carr Nature Reserve offers a rich variety of wildlife education programmes for community groups and all key stage level classes from Early Years through to University level.
The activities held at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve aims to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to take an active interest in local wildlife and its conservation. We provide children, young people and adults with fun, relevant, high quality environmental education. Out of classroom learning on site offers fantastic opportunities for positive, progressive and participative learning.
For more information on the sessions available and costs associated please see our learning pages.
Email the Education Team for more information or call 01302 570077.
www.ywt.org.uk/discover-learn/potteric-carr-flagship-rese…
As well as formal education programme, we also offer informal sessions for community groups including out of school groups such as Scouts and Guides, youth groups and school holiday clubs, and also for adult groups.
We’re a learning destination for the Children’s University!
Doncaster Children’s University is a Study Support scheme offered by Doncaster College. Children taking part in the scheme can collect credits in a ‘Passport to Learning’ and work towards a ‘National Award’ by attending after school clubs or Learning Destinations.
Children’s University Learning Destinations provide learning opportunities for children outside of school hours and out of the classroom! For more information about Doncaster Children’s University and to find out where you can get a ‘Passport to Learning’, click here.
Come along to one of our events to get your passport stamped. Find out what events are coming up at Potteric Carr on our What’s On pages.
www.ywt.org.uk/discover-learn/potteric-carr-flagship-rese…
We offer a range of exciting activities for brownies, cubs, scouts, guides and other groups at Potteric Carr which can be linked to badge work or just for fun!
All activities can be tailored to meet your groups needs. Here are just a few of the sessions you can expect to enjoy at Potteric Carr.
Beneath the water
Pond dipping to capture, identify and study mini-beasts that live under water, before returning them to their natural environment.
Mini-beast madness
Searching, sorting and studying mini-beasts found in leaf litter, log piles or grassland areas.
Where am I?
Discover how to find your way around the Reserve using geography including a map game, and learn to draw simple maps with keys yourself.
A special place
A series of activities aimed at helping children appreciate the wonders of nature including sticky palettes, journey sticks, un-natural trails.
Bush Craft
Try your hand at traditional crafts and help make some wonderful items as well as learning about bushcraft and survival in the wild!
www.ywt.org.uk/discover-learn/potteric-carr-flagship-rese…
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust received funding from the BIG Lottery to develop a community pond dipping station – an exciting new resource for local community groups to use.
This project provides community groups with an outdoor classroom stocked with all the necessary equipment; ID guides, interpretation and information to ensure a memorable visit to the nature reserve. We also hope discovering the benefits of having a pond will inspire action in the community. Ponds may be small but they are an important part of our landscape and create hotspots for a huge range of wildlife. Making a pond is one of the best ways to quickly and easily attract a variety of wildlife into your own backyard, whilst also providing a fascinating resource for all
www.ywt.org.uk/connect/flutter-by
Flutter By at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve started in March 2013 and aims to inspire all about our fascinating winged wildlife. Read on for more…
Generously funded through WREN, we have been able to create a new sensory garden and natural play area to be enjoyed by both the wildlife at Potteric Carr and most importantly you … our visitors!
WREN is a not for profit business that awards grants to community, environmental and heritage projects across the UK from funds donated by Waste Recycling Group (WRG) to the Landfill Communities Fund.
Peter Cox, managing director of WREN explains that "WREN is committed to funding projects that make a real difference to local communities, children and families. The Flutter By project will provide a fantastic space for local people to get outdoors and have some fun. We’re delighted to support Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to make this happen and look forward to the completion of the project in March 2013."
Invertebrates …. The basis of all ecosystems
7-spot ladybird – Credit Rachel ScopesWildflower meadows offer a diverse habitat rich in wildlife but this colourful landscape has been restricted in the UK due to change in land use and management since around the second world war. The decline in these habitats has been shown to have a negative effect on many invertebrate species, which in turn has caused noted declines in various other animals such as farmland birds and other small mammals. Invertebrate populations, ‘minibeasts’, play an important role in all ecosystems, by providing a service to both the environment and the species within it. Minibeasts not only provide an essential source of food for various animals, they also act as waste recyclers, pollinators and pest controllers and can be used to assess the ecological quality of a habitat. For these reasons the conservation of wildflower meadows are of increasing importance.
Flutter By
Flutter By, a component of The Connect Project, has been created to aid public engagement with the Humberhead Levels Nature Improvement Area (NIA), by building an area which can be use for exploration and learning. The old sensory garden at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve, which at present can be found along the Dragonfly Trail has undergone a transformation as our team of staff, contractors and volunteers all got their hands dirty rebuilding a natural play space and butterfly garden.
The garden has been filled with wildflowers which will attract numerous invertebrate species, in turn encouraging other species of birds and mammals to take advantage of the increasingly diversified habitat on the nature reserve. Along with the creation of new habitats, a variety of natural play equipment was commissioned which has been built and designed with the minibeast theme in mind! To help you learn more about the importance of invertebrates within the ecosystem and make your visit to the garden even more enjoyable a minibeast audio trail has also been put together. This trail consists of a number of minibeast inspired totem poles, each with a downloadable podcast for you to listen to as you search the garden (see below).
In addition to the environmental benefits Flutter By will create, it gives you a chance to get involved in a project which will benefit conservation and your local community.
There are various ways to get involved in Flutter By, from helping with the construction of the Garden and activity station to attending training sessions to learn how to teach groups in your community.
Children’s Events
We have many children’s events running throughout the year, many of which take place in or around the Flutter By Garden. Find out what events are coming up at Potteric Carr on our What’s On pages.
Corporate Workdays
Flutter By is an ongoing project which needs continuous maintenance; one of the ways in which you can help is by booking a corporate workday. Corporate workdays are a brilliant opportunity to develop better working relationships, spend a day out of your normal working environment and make a difference to your local wildlife! Find out more about corporate workdays by contacting Lizzie Dealey.
Community Leader Training
Community Leader Training events offer a great opportunity to community group leaders to learn about minibeasting activities. Click here to find out more.
Explore the mosaic of habitats and wonderfully diverse wildlife at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve by picking one of four trails, many of which are suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
The four routes are marked by coloured posts which include:
Dragonfly Trail – orange markers; 3 km lasting approx. 50 minutes
Expresso Trail – brown markers; 0.5 km lasting approx. 10 minutes
Railway Walk – red markers; 3 km lasting approx. 50 minutes
Wetland Walk – blue markers; 5 km lasting approx. 1 hour 10 minutes
All four routes cover approximately 8 km if you decide to make a day of it and take in the majority of the nature reserve. Please download the Potteric Carr Nature Reserve leaflet at the bottom of the page which shows all of the footpaths. On all routes you will come across several bird hides, the majority with ramp access. There is also a special iSpy leaflet to download for children, showing the Dragonfly Trail.
For a better view of the wildlife, stop in one of fourteen hides, which offer excellent vantage points.
After your walk be sure to stop in at the Kingfisher Tearooms for a cream tea or cake.
If you’ve brought along your children or grandchildren then don’t miss out on the Discovery Room, open during weekends and in the school holidays and packed full with wildlife-themed books, games and crafts. Activity rucksacks are also available for our younger guests – ask at reception for more details.
We do ask that you keep to the footpaths so as not to disturb our wonderful wildlife, as conservation work is carried out in these areas. Please be aware that if crossing the railway you will need to be in possession of either your membership card or ticket.
We hope you enjoy the walks and don’t forget to let us know of your wildlife sightings by adding them to our ‘Potteric Carr Sightings’ Blog in the left hand menu!
www.ywt.org.uk/discover-learn/potteric-carr-flagship-rese…
Come take a browse in the shop at Potteric Carr, with merchandise to tempt all ages
There is something for everyone at the Potteric Carr shop – with binoculars, books, bird seed and much more it really is worth the stop! If you’re after something in a hurry and haven’t got time to pop down to the shop then why not take a look online.
Stockists of:
Zeiss
Opticron
Vine House Farm
CJ Wildlife
The Nuttery
Jacobi Jayne (Squirrel Busters)
Gardman
Email Richard Sykes or call on 01302 570077.
www.ywt.org.uk/discover-learn/potteric-carr-flagship-rese…
Looking to visit Potteric Carr? Here is some useful information…
Opening Times:
Nature reserve: 9am – 5pm
Kingfisher Tearooms: 10am – 4pm (October – May) 10:30 am- 4:30pm (April – September)
Car parking: Locked at 5pm – if you would like to stay later, then arrive before 5pm and ask at the front desk
Open seven days a week (check website for Christmas closure times)
Prices:
Members of The Wildlife Trusts : Free
Adults: £4.00
Children: £2.00
Concessions: £2.50
Family: £7.50 (two adults & up to four under 16’s)
No dogs or bikes please, they can disturb and harm our wonderful wildlife.
Address
Potteric Carr Nature Reserve
Sedum House
Mallard Way
Doncaster
DN4 8DB
Directions:
Coming from Doncaster take the White Rose Way (A6182), at the roundabout follow the directions for the M18. Potteric Carr Nature Reserve is signposted.
From the A1 (southbound) come off at Junction 35 for the M18, then take Junction 3 towards Doncaster and follow signs for the A6182 (White Rose Way). At the first set of lights you reach, turn right into Mallard Way. Park at Sedum House.
Nearest train station: Doncaster
For further information get in touch with us by calling 01302 570077 or by emailing potteric.carr@ywt.org.uk.
www.ywt.org.uk/potteric-kingfisher-tearooms
Visit the Kingfisher Tearooms
No trip to Potteric Carr Nature Reserve is complete without a rest stop at the Kingfisher Tearooms, where quality home-made food produced from local ingredients is our top priority.
Join us at the Kingfisher Tearooms for a spot of cream tea or a mouth-wateringly delicious sandwich packed full of local ingredients.
A child-friendly menu is available and for those wanting to venture from the tearooms for their lunch a family picnic basket provides the perfect solution.
All of our food is lovingly prepared from scratch, using the freshest of ingredients, with gluten free options available.
Opening Times:
April 1st – October 1st: 10:30am – 4:30pm
October 2nd – March 31st: 10am – 4pm
For more information:
Email Bev Walker or call 01302 364152.
We would love to help you with any bespoke cake orders, just get in touch!
Thank you to Network Rail, Unipart Rail and Phoenix Mechanical Services Ltd who have sponsored the Kingfisher Tearooms
www.ywt.org.uk/discover-learn/potteric-carr-flagship-rese…
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust with the help of volunteers work to ensure the variety of habitats at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve are maintained.
Reed management at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve – Credit Jim HorsfallSome of this work involves reed cutting, this is carried out on a 10-year rotation with different blocks cut on each year of the cycle.
The grasslands are managed through a conservation grazing programme using Highland cattle and Hebridean sheep to allow the less competitive species to establish. Hay cutting also occurs in some areas to remove nutrients and improve the grassland for wildflowers.
In the woodland some areas are coppiced and other trees are thinned out to let more light through to the woodland floor and encourage woodland flowers to grow.
Footpaths and benches are also maintained to ensure guests enjoy a pleasant visit!
Regular volunteer days are held on site to help with the management of the wonderful habitats and species found here.
For more information call Potteric Carr on 01302 570077.
Posted by SaffyH on 2014-08-08 21:52:41
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