Today I went to the Chestnut Centre Otter & Owl Wildlife Park in the Derbyshire Peak District. The Wildlife Park takes its name from a chestnut tree near its entrance which was planted in 1837 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Victoria.
The Centre is set in 50 acres of landscaped grounds and is home to a unique collection of birds and mammals, its emphasis being on Otters and Owls which together form the bulk of the collection.
There are around 17 species of Owl to be seen along with the European Otter, the Asian Short-clawed Otter, the North American River Otter and the South American Giant Otter. There are also Deer, Red Fox, Pine Martin, Scottish Wildcat and Badger to only name a few to be seen.
The Heap family founded the sanctuary in 1984 and they also own and run the New Forest Wildlife Centre and The Battersea Park Children's Zoo. The centre aims to promote a wider understanding of our natural environment and as keen conservationists the Heap family have for the last 30 years been concerned in the status of Otters in the UK and further afield.
The centre is involved on an ongoing basis with the rehabilitation of injured or orphaned wildlife from various areas with rescues coming from organisations such as RSPCA, local vets, local wildlife trusts and from the general public. Those that can are returned to the wild and in the instance of this not being possible but there is still the possibility of a 'quality of life', they remain with the sanctuary to act as ambassadors for their species.
The Chestnut Centre is a lovely reserve to visit nestled on a hillside and valley in Chapel-en-le-Frith in Derbyshire and I can highly recommend a visit. The layout makes a visit feel more like discoveries made along woodland trails rather than just following a path from pen to pen.
The woodland trails which run around and through the centre also offer a great opportunity to experience an abundance of fauna and flora indigenous to the area; from wild birds such as treecreepers to pheasant and mamals from bank vole to the wood mouse.
I hope you enjoy this short (35 minute) audio tour recorded today during my visit.
Click to Play or Download Chestnut Centre with Charlie
The Chestnut Centre web site can be found at: Chestnut Centre
