The Spinnies

The Spinnies is a small reserve owned by the North Wales Wildfowl Trust. It is 3 miles from Bangor adjacent to Penrhyn Castle (National Trust). The reserve looks on to the Menai Straits and is open all the year. They do not have their own car park but the road is a dead end where there is parking. The walk to the entrance is about 300 yards back down the road. Unfortunately there is no public transport.

The North Wales Wildlife Trust asked for help and advice from the DBA on how they could improve their facilities for the disabled. They have been visited by a DBA member and will be taking on board the suggestion made.

There are two hides, one not really suitable for the disabled, as access is down an uneven path through the woods, and there are steps in. The main hide is excellent. There is a good level pathway to it, ideal for wheelchairs, and there are a number of benches for people to take a rest. The hide has three low windows for wheelchair birders and these are not blocked by benches. One looks straight out onto the Straits, another looks through the trees towards the Straits, and the third looks out to the rear of the hide on to a brackish lake.

This is an excellent place to see the wintering waders and passing migrants and the species recorded include wigeon, teal, shelduck, oyster catcher, mute swans great crested grebe, merganser, curlew, redshank, dunlin, and water rail. Being surrounded by woodland there is a vast number of woodland species and an occasional firecrest has been seen. Kingfishers are resident as well as little grebe, coot, mallard, moorhen and greenshank.

See the North Wales Wildlife Trust Website.