Castle Espie - NOT a castle, but a very cool place!

In December, the day after our "date night" at Bob and Kath's, we went to Castle Espie. In the land of castles, this is NOT a castle! Instead, it is a wonderful wetland centre: http://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/castle-espie/ out on the coast, between Bob and Kath's house and our house (map - you can zoom in and out: http://goo.gl/maps/wyGRx). This really neat place has SO many species of duck that live there and you can feed them. Some of these species are really rare even.

And, there is a very cool walk around the property to vantage points to see lots of birds in nature along the coast and in wetlands. There are also some neat early human structures with educational materials, a lime kiln, and a playground. The day we were there, they were having a scavenger-type hunt for the kids that Watson really enjoyed.

Unfortunately, when we got out to about as far away from the Visitor's Centre as possible, it started down pouring...and, didn't stop! So, we didn't get to see about half of the outdoor attractions, including the playground. Next time...we will definitely be back to this little gem. Luckily, inside they have a really great indoor playroom with soft structures, a really nice gift shop, and a great cafe. And, that weekend they had a whole series of crafts for kids to do. Watson made all of the crafts, we ate dinner, and the boys played in the indoor gym for a long time while it rained outside. What a great place!