First, I must comment on the parking charges at this site as they are a little strange. At £4 it is fine, if dearer than most, but this only gets you 4 hours. Stay any longer and the charge shoots up to an extortionate £10. At Mere Sands Wood - another TWT site and better in my opinion - I pay a one-off £20 parking charge for a whole year!
The visitor centre at Brockholes includes shops, activity areas and a restaurant, all of which are set on a type of footed pontoon that is capable of rising above increased water levels should the nearby River Ribble flood. Architectural and Engineering ingenuity - yes, but when you compare this to some of the rather shabby viewing hides on the reserve, you do wonder if the balance of spending is a little off. After all, don't we go to these places to enjoy the nature; not a 3 course dinner accompanied with a host of plaudits on how wonderful the build mechanism is?
So what of the nature? Well my first thoughts are that we had an enjoyable day, even if it was a bit like a supermarket trolley-dash around one half of the reserve (the 4 hour option). Reed Bunting were everywhere, plus a good number of Lapwing, Pied Wagtails, Redshank, Cormorant, Mute Swan and a single Whimbrel. The highlight was a fair few Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover, and after seeing both together on the same site I don't think I will ever have id problems again. The woodland walk was quite good (once we blocked out the traffic noise from the adjacent M6 motorway) and we saw lots of Tits and other small birds along the way.
We made a 70 mile round trip today and we constantly clock-watched (parking charges annoy most people and we are no different). We were disappointed with some of the hides, in fact one had been completely destroyed in an arson attack. So was it worth it... did we see anything that we could not have seen within a few miles from home? The answer, categorically, is no.
Will we return? Maybe if we happen to be in the area but I cannot see us making a specific trip.
Reed Bunting were showing well on the west side of the reserve.
Little Ringed Plover - always a great find.
Common Blue Damselfly on one of the woodland paths.
Footnote: Since our visit another hide has now been destroyed by vandals in another arson attack.
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