Country parks

To book a visit to either of the parks please follow these guidelines:

1. Before filling out a booking form please phone the park to confirm the availability of preferred dates and to discuss the school's requirements. If the preferred date is available, the park will provisionally book the visit.
2. Send a completed booking form to the park to confirm the booking. Separate forms must be completed for each visit.
3. Once the park has received the booking form, it will contact the school to confirm the visit and discuss its exact requirements. Teachers are strongly recommend to visit the park in advance so that they feel confident about the locations of its facilities and the activities.

Important information

The following information is provided to help plan a visit:

• Typically, school visits are arranged between 10am and 3pm, with the exception of Celtic activities (Riverside Country Park only) which run from 10am to 2.15pm.
• Schools may visit outside these times but all visits must end 45 minutes before the advertised park closing time.
• Ranger-led activity should be booked early, as demand is high. These work best with groups of up to 35 but arrangements can be made for larger groups.
• Since the majority of schools bring two classes, accompanied visits are usually structured on a two-class system. Parks try to provide rangers to lead both groups. Where this is not possible, however, a ranger will lead one class in the morning, while the teacher leads the other. The two classes then swap after lunch.
• Schools may, of course, bring out more than two classes but rangers may not be available to lead activities.
• Organisers of visits should ensure that they provide enough chaperones to fulfil current local education authority standards.

Health and safety

Both country parks are situated in exposed locations and students should come dressed accordingly. As a minimum, the parks suggest:

• Suitable footwear (preferably waterproof) – trails are often muddy and wet, especially during the winter and spring months.
• Warm clothing during the winter months (including a waterproof jacket, hat and gloves).
• Sun hats and sun cream during the summer.

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