Frequently Asked Questions

Pensthorpe allows free entrance to all essential carers when accompanying a full paying person who is physically or mentally impaired who would not otherwise be able to visit the site.

An essential carer is somebody who provides help and support to another individual who could not manage without their help.  This could be due to age, physical or mental illness, or disability.

There are many things to do at Pensthorpe.  Take a leisurely stroll on one of our many walks, watch wildlife from one of our hides or sit back and enjoy the Wensum Discovery Tour* which takes you out to parts of the estate you wouldn't normally gain access to.  Learn more about our conservation projects with Red Squirrels, Corncrakes and Cranes.   Delight at our three fantastic gardens providing year round interest.  Children can enjoy becoming bug detectives on our bug walk, discover underwater wildlife pond dipping or collect all the stamps and find all the facts on our wildlife tracker trail.   Finish your visit in our diversely stocked shop or relax with a refreshing beverage in the courtyard cafe.

*Seasonal attraction, charges apply

Millennium Garden, Wave Garden, Habitat Garden

The reserve has designated paths for wheelchairs / pushchairs. Please look at our map where the accessible path is highlighted in purple click here for map. Paths on the far sides of the reserve are only accessible via kissing gates and are not suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. Click for Disabled access report.

Binoculars can be hired form the shop for £1.00 for the day with a returnable £10.00 deposit.

Bags of feed can be purchased in the shop to feed the water fowl on the lakes. There is no feeding permitted in the aviaries. Please note in summer that we ration the number of bags that can be given to the ducks - due to potential over feeding.

Not to be missed The Wensum Discovery tour . Is a Land rover and trailer tour lasting approximately 1 hour. It takes you through areas of the estate not usually accessible to the general public, the journey is narrated by one of our experienced wardens who will give you an insight in to the past, present and future of Pensthorpe while showing you the differing landscapes and wildlife the Reserve has to offer. Tour costs . Please not that the tour is Seasonal and only operates from Easter to October and has a limited capacity. Tour times vary.

We only take bookings on the tour for groups of 15 and over. These pre bookings have to be paid in full in advance and are non refundable if cancelled within 24 hours of the tour. All other bookings are taken on a first come first serve basis . Bookings can be made at the main till in the shop.

Yes. Read more on the Wensum Discover Tour here.

Yes - Our fantastic cafe, open 9.00am - 5.00pm (9am - 4pm Jan / Feb) Take a look at our eating page.

No ..... but we are currently looking into the provision of Vouchers for the shop and cafe

Yes you can, we will need to know their name and contact details to make out a card for them.  Membership Form

Unfortunately Cycles are not permitted within the reserve but cyclists are very welcome to visit our cafe.

Watch the wildlife from the comfort of our Viewing Gallery. If you get caught in the reserve we have 8 hides where you can shelter from the rain and a gazebo in the Millennium Garden.

You can find a comments book in the viewing gallery or you can fill in one of our Questionnaires and leave in the box provided in the shop or send it back to us via the free post address. Alternatively you can e-mail us on info@pensthorpe.com

We hold lost property for up to one month, please either e-mail us on info@pensthorpe.com or call 01328 863628 and ask to be put through to 'lost property' in the shop.

On top of all you can see in the reserve, we offer groups the option of your own private Warden tour of the reserve or gardens charged at £25.00 per group of up to 25 people - subject to availability. Download group information

We offer a group discount to groups of 15 people and more.

We have a designated coach parking area. Coaches are welcome to drop of their guests near the hub before returning to the designated coach parking area. We also offer a £5.00 voucher for food and beverages for your coach driver in our cafe.

Yes we do:- 2 Adults and 2 Children entrance to the reserve £25.00.

Tesco vouchers can be used for admission to the Reserve only and can not be used in conjunction with any other offer or for special events.

We have lots for children and families to keep occupied from pond dipping to our fantastic WOW booklet full of fun and discovery.

For more information on schools download our Schools pack.

We have many visitors of migratory birds and other wildlife so please check our sightings board.

The wildfowl at Pensthorpe look their best during the breeding season which is from October through to the end of May. Sue to the diversity of habitats at Pensthorpe we attract different species at different times of the year. Follow the Wardens blog to get an idea of the comings and goings.

Dragonflies can be found throughout the reserve during June / July some of the best areas to spot them is on the bridges over the river Wensum, or darting through the wild flower meadow.

Unfortunately we are unable to guarantee that you will see the cast of Springwatch during your visit. We are unable to arrange meetings with the cast.

Please forward your interesting story to us by e-mail to info@pensthorpe.com and we will pass it onto the Springwatch team.

Pensthorpe has three formal gardens providing year round interest.

The Wave Garden is a woodland garden comprising spring and summer flowers and bulbs within a wave of yew hedging, there is a bog garden, specimen trees, seating and sculptures.

The Millennium Garden is an acre of mixed perennials and grasses designed by reknowned plantsman Piet Oudolf. It provides a tapestry of colour and texture from early summer through to the winter structural seedheads.

Our Wildlife Habitat Garden has been designed to show what you can do at home to create habitats to attract various species into your outdoor space.

Yes, special group rates apply. There is free coach parking and Coach drivers are admitted into the grounds free of charge and receive a £5 meal voucher. For an extra charge you can also organise a tour of the gardens with our Head Gardener - subject to availability.

There are a number of reasons for the decline of the red squirrel over recent centuries, most of which are due to the introduction of the grey squirrel from North America in the early 1960s

• The grey squirrel is a carrier of two viruses which are fatal to red squirrels - parapoxvirus (also known as squirrelpox) and the lesser known adenovirus.
• Grey squirrels can survive in far higher densities than reds, have a more eclectic diet and are more aggressive, driving the indigenous Reds out of areas where they overlap
• While grey squirrels are happy travelling on the ground, reds are far more arboreal and the destruction and thinning of the UK's woodlands has made vast areas of the country unsuitable
• Red squirrels were very numerous in the past and a pest in the 1700s. A brutal system of eradication throughout the early part of the nineteenth century hit the UK population hard and allowed grey squirrels space to get a foothold when they arrived.

The Great Crane Project is an initiative first thought of by the Pensthorpe Conservation Trust who then approached the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and WWT (Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust). The project is now a partnership between the WWT, RSPB, PCC (Pensthorpe Conservation Trust) and Viridor environment company and the aim is to re-establish a sustainable population of Common Crane in Britain, securing its future as a breeding species. More detail can be found on the project's website at http://www.thegreatcraneproject.org.uk/

Studies during the 1990's showed a severe decline in the breeding population of Corncrakes in the Bristish Isle with nearly the whole breeding population restricted to the islands on the north and west coast of Scotland.  As a result of this study the RSPB, English Nature (now Natural England) and the Zoological Society of London got together to collaborate in a project to restore the corncrake as a breeding species once again in lowland England.

The Site chosen by the RSPB for release of this bird is the Nene Washes, due to its size and habitat suitability.  Due to our existing captive bred colony the  Pensthorpe Conservation Trust  became involved with the project, allowing a wider gene pool to be introduced into the release birds.

The ultimate success of this project is still very much in the balance; but singing males were recorded in both 2005 and 2006 and young birds were reared in the wild both years - auguring well for the future.