The RSPB Scotland Loch Lomond Nature Hub is celebrating the autumn by hosting a nature fun day for children this weekend.

Organisers of the event are asking parents to bring their #wildthings on an adventure this Sunday, October 21, and to search the pond for weird and wonderful creatures, hunt for beasts that creep and crawl in the meadows and go exploring in the enchanted woods.

Kids are urged to bring warm, waterproof clothing as well as their wellies for the welly wanging competition and for concocting some magical mud recipes in their very own mud kitchen.

There will also be the chance to take part in pond dipping, a scavenger hunt, den building, a worm charming competition, wild bingo and making a stick monster.

Paula Baker, who is the site manager at the reserve, said: “We are holding the event to celebrate the autumn and getting out and about enjoying crunching leaves and mud and all of the fun things before the winter nights draw in.”

Adults go free, while child tickets are priced at £6.50 and £5 for RSPB members.

The event will be held on October 21 at the RSPB Nature Hub at High Wards Farm, Gartocharn, G83 8SB.

For those who have never visited and are travelling from the Helensburgh area, the entrance to the nature hub is on the left-hand side after you’ve passed through Gartocharn itself, with signposts on the roadside clearly indicating the access point.

This Sunday’s family-friendly event will last from 10.30am until 4pm, but participants are free to arrive at any time during this period and stay for as little or as long as they like.

Call 01389 830670 or book online by visiting eventbrite.co.uk and searching for ‘RSPB Loch Lomond’.

In addition to the special event this Sunday, the RSPB’s Loch Lomond hub also features a 950-metre woodland trail, a fully accessible viewpoint path leading out to stunning views of Ben Lomond and Conic Hill, and a lochside path through ancient oak woodlands.

All of them are great facilities for bird watchers and other nature lovers keen to catch a glimpse of the local wildlife at all times of the year.

The reserve’s pond-dipping area was opened earlier this year, giving people of all ages the chance to discover some of the fascinating creatures that live under water at the reserve.

The new facility, which opened to the public in May, was funded by the ScottishPower Foundation, which also supported the building of new paths at the Loch Lomond reserve in 2017.