School trips

Brockholes school trips
Education

School trips

Educate and inspire

Visit some of the region's best nature reserves and allow our experienced education team to take your class on a journey of discovery.

We offer a wide range of educational programmes in line with the National Curriculum, and Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.  All of our programmes are fully risk assessed.

Find a spot for your school trip

We offer school visits at:

  • Brockholes Nature Reserve, Preston.
  • Mere Sands Wood, Rufford.
  • The Hive at Moss Bank Park, Bolton.
  • Environmental Resource Centre at Seven Acres Nature Reserve, Bolton.
  • Lunt Meadows Nature Reserve, Merseyside.
     

Each location offers a range of habitats and wildlife, making them the perfect locations for hands-on, outdoor learning sessions for all ages.

Please take a look at the options below to find the perfect location for your trip.

Brockholes Visitor Village

Brockholes Visitor Village by Bentham Imaging

Brockholes Nature Reserve School Visits

Brockholes Nature Reserve is host to a ground-breaking floating visitor village, and offers spectacular views of lake, woodland, river, meadow, grassland, pond and hedgerow habitats.

Facilities

Conveniently located just off Junction 31 of the M6 at Preston, Brockholes is perfectly placed for schools across the region. We can host school groups of up to 105 children (subject to availability). Brockholes has a wide variety of outdoor settings for your class, waiting to be explored. We have multiple outdoor classrooms based in our woodlands (fitted with seating circles), as well as a purpose-built pond dipping platform. 

When booking a school visit led by our Education team, your school will have the use of one of our indoor classrooms, The Activity Room or The Lookout. The Activity Room is located on the Visitor Village and The Lookout is a short walk away, both offer stunning views across our lakes. You will have an enthusiastic and experienced member of the Education team dedicated to your group throughout your visit, guiding the children on their outdoor adventure.

Workshops

We offer a wide variety of workshops for school visits including Habitats, Minibeasts, Pond Dipping, Bushcraft/Survival, Stone Age, Maps, Rivers and Environmental Art. For our full range of workshops click below.

Mere Sands Wood

Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve School Visits

Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve is located in Rufford, in the heart of the Lancashire countryside and is easily accessible from the A59. The reserve has a variety of habitats including woodlands, lakes and meadows, and is a beautiful wildlife haven waiting to be explored.

Facilities

We can take up to groups of 60 children for school visits at Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve. When booking a school visit led by our Education team, your school will have the use of the Field Studies Centre, which is located next to the car park. You will have an enthusiastic and experienced member of the Education team dedicated to your group throughout your visit.

Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve has an outdoor classroom (fitted with a seating circle) which is located in The Pines woodland. The reserve has accessible pathways around the site.

Workshops

We offer a wide range of educational workshops that cater for young people of all ages, including Habitats, Minibeast, Bushcraft/Survival, Plants and much more. A full list of workshops can be found below.

We are able to offer a limited number of funded Countryside Stewardship visits for school groups at Mere Sands Wood. This educational visit aims to educate schools about how Lancashire Wildlife Trust uses grazing and traditional farming techniques to help positively manage the habitats at Mere Sands Wood.

The Hive at Moss Bank Park

Alan Wright

The Hive at Moss Bank Park School Visits

The Hive is located in Bolton’s iconic Moss Bank Park and offers a unique outdoor experience for visiting school groups. The Hive is made up of a series of gardens adorned with natural play equipment.

Facilities

You will have an enthusiastic and experienced member of the Education team dedicated to your school visit at The Hive. They will be available throughout your visit, guiding the children on an outdoor natural adventure.

Our school visits at The Hive are fully outdoor visits and we are able to take school groups of up to 35 children (maximum) at The Hive. We have an outdoor classroom (fitted with seating circle) and accessible pathways through the site. On a school visit led by the Education team, the outdoor classroom at the top of the site can be closed off for your school group when the site is open to the public. Toilets are available in Moss Bank Park café.

Workshops

We offer a wide range of educational Workshops that cater to children of all ages. Specific programmes include Minibeasts, Plants, Bushcraft/Survival, Sensory Hive Adventure and much more. A full list of workshops can be found below.

Bolton ERC

Bolton Environmental Resource Centre School Visits

The Environmental Resource Centre sits on the edge of Seven Acres Local Nature Reserve, making it the perfect setting for children to explore the natural world. With an array of habitats, including woodland, wildflower meadows, heathland, wetlands and Bradshaw Brook running through the reserve.

Facilities

We can take up to groups of 35 children for school visits at Bolton Environmental Resource Centre. When booking a school visit led by our Education team, your school will have the use of the indoor classroom, which is located upstairs in Environmental Resource Centre. The indoor classroom has a floor to ceiling windows that look out onto Seven Acres Nature Reserve. There is an accessible lift in the building for wheelchair users. You will have an enthusiastic and experienced member of the Education team dedicated to your group throughout your visit to Bolton Environmental Resource Centre.

Workshops

At Bolton Environmental Resource Centre we run two full day workshops: Rivers or Habitats.

Ponds and pools at Lunt Meadows nature reserve surrounded by lush vegetation

Lunt Meadows Nature Reserve School Visits

Lunt Meadows is a wetland nature reserve situated on the banks of the River Alt in North Merseyside. Doubling up as a flood storage reservoir, it is home to a wonderful variety of bird life. It is also a fascinating archaeological site and home to one of just a few surviving Mesolithic settlements, providing an inspiring backdrop to learn about Mesolithic history.

Facilities

We can take up to groups of 35 children for school visits at Lunt Meadows Nature Reserve.  A new indoor classroom will be opening in 2024. In the meantime we are offering half day visits at Lunt Meadows or alternatively we can arrange an outreach visit at your school. At Lunt Meadows we have an outdoor classroom area where we are able to set up a bell tent to provide some shelter and there is a compost toilet available on site. You will have a knowledgeable and enthusiastic member of the Education team dedicated to your group throughout your visit to Lunt Meadows.

Workshops

At Lunt Meadows we are able to run  Mesolithic Stone Age, Habitats, Mini-beasts and Pond Dipping workshops.

Get in touch with us to plan your WILD school trip

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Really good value for money and excellent experiences for the children.
Broad Oak Primary