Outdoor activities at Wallington

There’s nearly 800 acres of woodland on the estate, including conifer plantations and pockets of mixed broad-leaved woodland. See which species you can spot as you wander past the hedgerows and wildflowers flourishing in the peat bogs, old quarries, disused railway lines and stream edges.

Following extensive Storm Arwen damage in 2021, it has been rare to see red squirrels in the woods around the house. With a couple of recent sightings in the East woods however, we hope it won't be too long before visitors will see more frequent sightings. Sightings further up into the northern parts of the Wallington estate are becoming more consistent and the team of rangers and volunteers are continuing to work all year round on the Red Squirrel Conservation Programme here. In the meantime, a trip to the Wildlife Hide, with lots of bird feeders, is a perfect place to spot a variety of birds.

Although otters are elusive animals, they are territorial and there are often signs that they have been in the area along the River Wansbeck. Look out for the otters’ distinctive droppings or 'spraints' at strategic places in their territory.

The trees, meadows and buildings at Wallington provide excellent homes for at least eight species of bat. Although they’re nocturnal, you might be lucky to spot them in the air as it gets a bit darker.

The white-clawed crayfish is Britain's only native freshwater crayfish and there's a thriving population in the watercourses on the Wallington Estate. This is because of the excellent quality of the water, which has few pollutants. This species is in decline across the rest of the country, however, due to the introduction of the invasive non-native American signal crayfish and the threat of disease.