London: The Wetlands Center
 

Anybody been here? Guidebook says its a 105 acre of lakes, lagoons and marshes where some of the world's rarest birds live. Supposed to have nice views from the observation tower and kids can feed the birds and play in a farmyard.

Is this hard to get to? Anything close by to combine with this trip?

Not been, but it's run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust which is an excellent charity, to be commended. Do go and tell us what you think.

Barnes is not far out by London's standards, but doesn't always have the easiest links. It's on the river, so maybe you could get there by boat and go on to Kew?

I've been! The London Wetland Centre is very cool if you are at all into birdwatching or nature preserves. It is a beautiful place to wander around. I will say, however, that since we weren't well versed in UK/European bird species, we couldn't quite feel the impact of someone proclaiming "My God, there's a knotheaded green winged tweeter!" Our visit was in the later part of the day and paired with a "Bat Walk" at dusk which was great fun.

We were staying in Richmond at the time and took a train to Barnes. Very short and easy. Walked to the Wetland Centre, less than 15 minutes from the Barnes station. The website has good directions from central London. (www.wwt.org.uk/visit/wetlandcentre/).

Other things to do might include Richmond (Richmond Park, lots of shops/restaurants, Ham House) or as suggested above, Kew Gardens followed by a meal at the lovely Maids of Honour tea shop across the street from the gardens. There's probably not enough time to pair it with a visit to Hampton Court Palace.

Sounds like you're looking for some more off beat places to see.

obxgirl, thanks for the firsthand report. It's always good to hear it from somebody that's actually been before.

Yes, I am trying to hit some "off the beaten track places as I've seen most of the typical major attractions. What is a "Bat Walk"?

A Bat Walk is a walk, usually at dusk, with a guide who can point out the species of bats in the area. The guide will have a machine that allows humans to hear the bat noises. FYI, UK bats are small and not very numerous. But they are loud when you hear them with one of the machines I mentioned.

Oddly enough, there was a piece in the free commuter newspaper this morning about the London Transport online journey planner, which used a trip to the Wetlands as an example. The 283 bus from Hammersmith (connection to tube) runs past the entrance apparently.

The walk from Barnes station is a pleasant stroll across common land, but it is a disconcerting distance if you don't know the area. Barnes village is a mostly upmarket residential area - nice cafés and restaurants, a pub overlooking a village green: very countrified for a London suburb, and very popular with media people. You might see someone you recognise from TV or films.

Or you can walk from the Wetlands along the river to Putney, and pick up the tube at Putney Bridge station - again a longish walk.

Thanks for the info - it looks easy enough to get to from central London.