EXPERIENCE SCOTT’S LEGACY
WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Reserve at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire (above) is often called the jewel in the crown of Britain’s wetland centres. This flat, wide, windswept expanse of marsh, pasture and water attracts thousands of wildfowl, especially in winter when there is a surge of swans and ducks escaping the bitter Arctic winters. Up to 30,000 migrants flock here in the winter months, from October to March. White-fronted geese, teal, wigeon, merlin and peregrine falcons are among the birds you might expect to see in winter. From March, sand martins, swallows and cuckoos arrive, while kingfishers, warblers and lapwings start nesting.
Managed year-round to cater for a well-balanced mix of birdlife, Slimbridge also has hides and attractions for children as well as a number of introduced species, such as flamingos. A visitor centre has extensive information about Peter Scott and examples of his drawings. It can also hold some surprises: here, in the reeds near the visitor centre, I caught sight of an elusive water vole, the only one I’ve ever seen. wwt.org.uk
Sir Peter Scott Walk, Norfolk/Lincolnshire
In 1933, at the age of 24, Peter Scott moved into a lighthouse (above) beside the River Nene at Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire. There, surrounded by wild marshes teeming with birdlife, he hung up his wildfowling guns and turned instead to painting, inspiring in the process his friend Paul Gallico’s classic 1941 novel The Snow Goose. Scott built ponds to attract geese and other birds and turned a room in the lighthouse into his painting studio, staying here until the Second World War started in 1939.
The 10.5-mile Sir Peter Scott Walk commemorates Scott’s time here. The route begins at the passenger ferry across the Great Ouse at King’s Lynn in Norfolk, and follows the old sea bank along the Wash to the lighthouse near the mouth of the Nene. Along the way there are views over the north Fens and the mudflats and saltmarshes on the shores of The Wash. Don’t forget to bring your binoculars. There are car parks at either end of the route. King’s Lynn Tourist Information Centre, 01553 763044, visitnorfolk.co.uk