Parkside is the ideal venue for this enjoyable Spring birdwatching holiday at a prime time for both resident breeding birds and summer migrants. Located within the ‘Arnside and Silverdale’ Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and with the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks nearby, Parkside offers easy access to a wide variety of bird habitats.
We visit a number of nearby sites selected from Arnside Shore, Ashmeadow, Leighton Moss, Warton Crag, Gait Barrow, Haweswater, the Kent Estuary, Dallam Park and Arnside Knot. Further afield we may visit Foulshaw Moss, South Walney, Morecambe & Heysham, Barbondale or explore the Ingleton Waterfall Walk.
The detailed programme for the holiday will take into account the weather and tidal conditions, the needs and wishes of our guests and what wildlife is about at the time. Be sure to bring your RSPB and Wildlife Trust membership cards, if you have them, to gain free entry to reserves.
At RSPB Leighton Moss, the largest reed bed in the North-West, we could see avocet, bittern, bearded tit, marsh tit, marsh harrier and great white egret and possibly otter and red deer. Breeding osprey nest at the Cumbria Wildlife Trust Reserve at Foulshaw Moss, a rare example of a lowland raised peat bog whilst Warton Crag Quarry is home to breeding peregrine falcon and raven. Gait Barrow NNR features limestone pavement and nearby Haweswater’s reedbed is home to marsh harrier and bittern.
The oak woodland at Barbondale is noted for redstart, pied flycatcher and dipper, whilst the sand dunes of Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s South Walney Reserve have large numbers of ground breeding lesser black-backed gulls and eider ducks. A large colony of grey seals haul out at low tide on the edge of the spit. Morecambe Promenade provides opportunities to observe a variety of waders and ducks at high tide.
Whether you are an expert, an improver or a beginner, be sure to join us for this first-class holiday during which we seek out and enjoy the best of South Lakeland’s wildlife.
Parkside has 26 twin/double & 8 single rooms, all en-suite and with no single supplement. The holiday is full board, including breakfast, a picnic lunch, dinner and a light supper later in the evening. The holiday starts with a house lunch on the first day and finishes after breakfast on the Saturday. A wide variety of Wine, Beer, Cider, Spirits and Soft Drinks are available to purchase.
*Please note that the holiday starts at 1pm with Lunch (check in from 12 Noon)
and not the standard 3pm start time of other holidays.
General Information About Your Stay At Parkside Guest House
- We ask guests to arrive from 12pm on they day your stay begins. Lunch will be at 1pm. We cannot guarantee that rooms will be ready before this time.
- We ask guests to vacate their rooms by 9am on the day of departure.
- Meal times are variable dependent on the group; these will be displayed in the dining room on arrival. We have one sitting for Breakfast & Dinner being a Fellowship, eating together at the beginning and end of the day is an important part of our holidays.
- We have an excellent wine list available and also serve beer, lager and cider.
- Your host will meet you in the lounge on the day of you arrival to give you your room key and you can also find out which table you are seated on in the dining room.
- We have tea, coffee and biscuits in the lounge at 3.30pm where you can meet your fellow guests and we can answer any questions you may have.
- The putting and bowling green are available for use normally May to October.
- Information centres are situated by the front door and the office.