School trips

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.
• Beach School on the Fylde Coast, St Anne's, Lancashire.

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 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 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 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.

We are able to offer a limited number of funded Outdoor Learning Experience visits at The Hive. This is funded by The Inflexion Foundation and is only available to schools located in the Greater Manchester area. Please note that we only offer these funded visits between September – March. These funded visits are not available in April, May, June or July. For more information click here.

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.

Beach School is an unforgettable way for children to immerse themselves in the wonders of the UK's seas & beaches. We aim to improve students' knowledge about their local coastal environment by connecting them with nature; opening their eyes to this amazing habitat and inspiring them to care for our coasts. Nestled along the stunning Fylde Coast, our Beach School offers a unique educational experience that brings together the wonders of the beach and the joys of learning.

Beach School on the Fylde coast is a partnership project between The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside and Park View 4U in Lytham, with support from Fylde Council.

At Fylde Beach School, we believe that learning should be an adventure that connects us to the natural world. Our mission is to inspire a lifelong connection between people and the natural world, fostering a sense of wonder, curiosity, and respect for the environment.

Our Beach School programme takes place on the beautiful beaches of the Fylde coast and runs term-term throughout the year. Choose from one session for a half-day visit or a combination of any two sessions to create a full day visit with your class.

Beach School can be tailored to suit students of any age! From Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) up to A-Level and university students. Activities are linked to the National Curriculum and can enhance classroom learning. Nationally accredited and acknowledged Beach School sessions are delivered by fully qualified and experienced staff.

Find out more here