The Nene goose, native of Hawaii was on the brink of extinction with only 30 birds left when their plight came to the attention of Peter Scott.

Our story starts back in the 1950s on Hawaii, with a little goose that was on the verge of extinction. Many years ago, living on a Hawaiian island didn’t involve having to deal with land predators, so the nene evolved as a friendly and inquisitive bird and it’s estimated that 25,000 used to inhabit the islands. But with the arrival of Europeans in 1778 and the introduction of predators like dogs, pigs and mongoose, life changed forever for the curious and trusting nene. Its numbers plummeted and by 1952 there were only 30 left.

Its plight captured the attention of WWT founder, Sir Peter Scott. He was determined not to let the species die out and brought a pair back to Slimbridge.

After a few teething problems (both birds turned out to be female) and the arrival of a gander, one of the greatest conservation success stories began.

In 1962, 35 birds born and raised at Slimbridge arrived in Hawaii to be released back into the wild. They were released across four sites on the main island and one site on Maui. Now, over fifty years since the birds were re-introduced, their numbers are above 2,000. In 2014 the first pair were spotted on a third island, having made their own way there.

It was Sir Peter Scott’s passion, determination and innovative thinking that enabled him to bring a bird back from the brink of extinction in the face of all odds.

Sir Peter Scott was the son of Antarctic explorer Captain Scott who, in his dying letter, urged Peter’s mother to “make the boy interested in natural history”.

Peter particularly loved the wild open marshes of Britain and the mysterious geese that visited from unknown shores. He learned to protect first the birds, and then their wetland habitats.

In 1946 he set up the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge as a centre for science and conservation. Uniquely at the time, he opened it to the public so that anyone could enjoy getting close to nature.

Peter and his family presented the BBC’s first live television wildlife programmes from his artist’s studio overlooking the lakes at Slimbridge, from where he brought a love for the British countryside into millions of homes.

As well as setting up WWT, he became an Olympic sailing medallist and a well-known painter and broadcaster. He created the IUCN red list which measures whether species are threatened or endangered. He was the founding chair of WWF – he even drew their famous panda logo.

WWT flourished during Peter’s life and has continued his life’s work since his death in 1989.

Breakfast was a mixture of buffet style and cooked-to-order with a toast-your-own-toast option. The latter was a little quirky as is often the case. Everything was good quality with the bacon standing out for a special mention; it was perfect in texture and taste.

Fuelled up with breakfast we walked to the nearby Wetlands Centre. It was a delight to hear a cuckoo along the way.

We saw many species of wildfowl and I particularly enjoyed the Dalmatian pelicans, kingfisher and sand martins. We took a trip on an electric boat with a knowledgeable guide who pointed out various wildlife features and creatures along the way as well as imparting lots of interesting information. We walked along the shady board walk and also took advantage of the various hides around the site.

We tried out the various binoculars that were on display before heading off on our return walk to the hotel. I was tempted by a couple of pairs of the binoculars and thought I might go back and purchase a pair.

Back at the hotel we freshened up and had a pre-dinner prosecco in the bar attached to the hotel before dining in the China Place Chinese Restaurant. We opted for one of the set menu meals and were treated with excellent service throughout our meal.

After dining we returned to the Red Lion for a night cap. The live entertainment wasn’t quite so lively as it had been the previous evening.

After breakfast we made our way to Arundel in order to visit the castle. The lady who sold us our tickets helped us choose the most economical way to purchase tickets given that we were able to claim discounts. She advised us to visit the gardens first and then make our way to the shop where we should upgrade our tickets to include the castle interior. The rose and walled gardens, with their fountains, were spectacular and at their best.

We also visited the Fitzalan Chapel which is the Eastern end of a church building. This is divided by glass from the Southern end which is home to the Parish Church. This is one of very few churches that is currently divided in this way, Catholic in one half and Anglican in the other.

After upgrading our ticket we had lunch. Our next port of call was the castle keep which is the oldest part of the castle. As we got higher up the castle keep this caused me a problem due to the narrowness of the spiral staircase. I was struggling to balance whilst holding my bag and camera out of the way. Eventually I made it and the views were worth the struggle.

Before we descended via another spiral staircase Mr C put my bag in his rucksack. Ironically this staircase was wider that the staircase on the way up.

The rooms in the castle were full of interesting treasures and history and the rooms guides ready to impart additional information and answer questions. The library which had at one time been the long gallery was spectacular.

Before leaving the castle we had another drink in the cafe and I purchased guide books about the castle and chapel. As I was making the purchase the lady who served me was pleased that I was buying ‘The Arundel Church with the Fitzalan Chapel’ guide because she was featured in a couple of the photographs. I asked her to point the photo out to me; it is one of her singing in the Church Choir which led to us having a conversation about choral singing.

Whilst leaving the castle we met the lady who had sold us our entry ticket earlier in the day. She remembered us and asked  if we had enjoyed our day and whether we were staying in the area. She asked what other things we planned to visit before offering some suggestions of her own to add to our list. She told us about a lake with walks just beyond the castle and also a Wildlife and Wetlands Trust (WWT) reserve .

We had a short amount of time to spare so we went to investigate. We weren’t in the mood for the lake so we went to investigate the WWT reserve when Mr C rather rashly paid to go in even though we only intended on spending half an hour there.

The visit was very enjoyable and we saw many species of ducks and geese, several of which Mr C had not seen before. Unfortunately I had left my hat in the car so needed to seek out shady places to cool off whilst enjoying the lake views.

For our evening meal we dined al fresco in Purchases Restaurant which had a continental feel to it. Once again the food was delicious. After the meal Mr C took me into Wetherspoons for a nightcap before returning to the B&B. The noisy atmosphere was quite a contrast to the lovely ambience of the restaurant and there was a miscommunication on what wine was available. It was another venue to strike off our list of return visits