- Play Hard
- 18th Mar 2024
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Animal lovers listen up – here are 8 activities in the North East you’ll love
Despite the near-constant rain lately, Spring is finally thinking about springing into life.
As well as green leaves on the trees, and longer, lighter nights, you can also expect to enjoy lots of animal encounters across the North East. Here are some of our top picks…
Goat walking, lamb feeding and more in The Ouseburn
Ouseburn Farm, regular dates throughout Spring and Summer.
Ouseburn Farm is always good for a mooch during a day out wandering around some of our favourite breweries, cafes and boutiques in the area, but did you know you can get up close and personal with the animals there?
The team regularly offers goat walking, lamb feeding and even reptile bathing, if you’re so inclined, so keep an eye out for new dates and events.
HLN TOP TIP: These events always sell out fast, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the website for new releases and cancellations.
Pygmy Goat Experience, Morpeth
West Barn Pygmy Goats, Morpeth. Experiences available seven days a week.
In our opinion, anything small and fluffy is cute, and Pygmy Goats are no exception.
West Barn Pygmy Goats boasts the biggest herd in Northumberland, with all different shapes, sizes, ages and colours waiting for you to lavish them with attention.
Your 45-minute experience gives you plenty of time to meet and greet them all – plus you’ll get to brush and feed them too. Heaven…
Meet the Otters at Washington Wetland Centre
Washington Wetland Centre, open seven days a week with commentated otter feeds at 11:30am and 2:30pm
Did you know otters hold hands when they sleep so that they don’t drift apart from each other? That officially makes them the sweetest animals in the world.
Visit Washington Wetlands Centre to meet Asian short-clawed otter family – Mimi, Musa and their son Buster and watch them swim and play in their tranquil habitat.
Alpaca Walking with Teesdale Alpacas
Teesdale Alpacas, Barnard Castle. Various bookable times and dates available.
Head to this family-run Alpaca farm in the Durham Dales for a glorious 1.5 hour trek with an Alpaca in tow.
Take in the stunning Teesdale scenery as you and your group each walk one of the 60+ Alpacas in the herd. Comfy walking gear? Mandatory. Cool new Insta pic? Optional.
Capybara Experience at Northumberland Zoo
Northumberland Zoo, Felton. Various bookable dates and times available.
If you, like us, can’t get the TikTok-viral Capybara song out of your head then it might be time to meet one in person.
In this experience you’ll get to spend 20 minutes in the Capybara enclosure feeding them and learning all about them from one of the zoo’s experienced keepers. You’ll also go home with a cute Capybara gift.
Beekeeping Day Course with The Northumberland Honey Co.
Linnel’s Farm, Hexham. Thursday 18 April and Thursday 25 April 2024.
By now, we all know that beekeeping is super important for our ecosystem, so why not try something new this Spring and unleash your inner beekeeper.
This full-day course is split between theory and practice and will give you enough knowledge to start your beekeeping journey.
The course includes a delicious 2 course lunch, and you can also book a stay on the farm before or after your experience to create an idyllic mini break.
Seal watching at Lindisfarne
Seahouses, Northumberland. Various bookable times, dates and experiences available.
Take a 90-minute boat ride around the Farne Islands to spot some of the 4,000 Grey Seals who live there.
Take in the fantastic views of the islands and spot the seals playing in the sea and basking on the rocks.
The experience is different throughout the year – depending on the types of different birds and animals nesting there at the time – so it’s a boat ride you’ll want to take again and again.
Family Lamb Feeding at Hall Hill Farm
Hall Hill Farm, Lanchester, Durham. Bottle feeding is held at midday, 2pm and 4pm daily from late March until Summer.
Nothing says Spring quite like baby lambs – and at Hill Hall Farm you can embrace the cuteness up close and bottle-feed them yourself.
The family-focused farm is a great place to take your little ones for all sorts of other animal experiences too. They’ll be able to hold rabbits and guinea pigs, and well as hand-feed the cows, goats, sheep and donkeys.
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