Like many families we've been counting down the days to not only pubs and restaurants reopening (hello beer gardens) but farms and zoos too. We are big fans of animals and with it being spring we've been excited to see, pet and feed all of the newborn lambs, kids and calves, so I decided to book tickets to West Lodge Farm Park which is situated in Desborough, Northamptonshire.
This is quite a small attraction in comparison to many but the price reflects this with tickets costing just £7.50pp for a weekend booking (peak time) and just £2 for toddlers at the moment. It's definitely good value for a nice morning or afternoon out. There is a large adventure playground and barrel rides for little ones but with my teens in tow we were particularly keen to visit the paddocks, signed walks and nature trails on this occasion.
Upon entry (there are currently staggered entry times currently to minimise social contact) you can purchase animal feed for 50p a bag before walking through a large gift shop and the new delicatessen which is full of different toys, meats and eggs to purchase - the perfect place to pick up a little souvenir from your trip.
We headed straight to Cuddle Corner and the Display Barns ready for the animal handling session where there were guinea pigs, a rabbit and a chicken placed on stands for everyone to stroke in turn. It was lovely to see so many happy children getting hands on and the member of staff was really friendly and approachable. There are great hand washing facilities and several large toilet cubicles nearby to clean up afterwards too.
In this area you will also find ducklings, geese, peacocks, turkeys, donkeys and goats. You may even catch a glimpse of Smokey the farm cat who roams around freely. We followed the pathway around to the left where the animals in the paddocks were located and with our paper bags of dried food ready, we were soon feeding the goats and lambs who ran over excitedly upon our approach.
We spent quite a lot of time here admiring the animals in the sunshine before taking a peek at the tiny piglets and heading towards the woodland to begin our walk.
The 5 walks available vary in length so you can choose from something quite short to a slightly longer trek, the latter being what we opted for. We usually go for a walk on a Sunday so we wanted to incorporate this into our visit and it was nice to have different themed trails to pick from here.
We entered the Caterpillar Tunnel, went down some steps and then followed the pathway between the trees where there were butterflies to spot. There was plenty of wildlife here and we saw a number of rabbits and wild deer along with tadpoles in the stream. We could also hear and see a variety of birds so it's a nice place for avid watchers. We went over the troll bridge, climbed trees and then looped back around towards the cows, more sheep and goats to feed.
It was now nearly lunchtime so we picked out a picnic table (there are plenty to choose from both in the sun and shaded areas) and sat down to eat. I also popped over to The Udder Place to grab some chilled drinks at this point (£6.45 for 4 cans, so a little pricey) as it was really starting to get warm outside and we all required something to cool us down. They also sell ice creams, breakfast rolls and cold snacks to take away if you're feeling peckish!
Normally we would eat at the attraction cafe but as the indoor facilities were closed due to Covid restrictions we thought taking our own bag of sandwiches, savoury nibbles and treats was the best option. We do however look forward to returning and trying the Rickyard Restaurant, and playing at the Old Grain Adventure Barn, which looks great.
For your chance to WIN tickets to West Lodge Farm Park you can enter via the Gleam entry form below.
The giveaway is open to UK residents aged 18+ and closes at midnight on 24th May 2021.
Good luck!
WIN Tickets to West Lodge Farm Park
For more information on West Lodge Farm Park or to book tickets you can visit the website here: https://westlodgeruralcentre.co.uk/
No comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for taking the time to stop by. We love to hear your thoughts - feel free to pop a comment in the box!