Lotherton Hall is a council run property, garden, deer park and aviary. On my previous visit all but the garden were closed. The garden is still small and, in my opinion, not worthy of a trip on its own. This time, however, the aviary was open and we ventured in. I was completely surprised. The little one was captivated by the many different types of birds, particularly loving a cheeky exotic pheasant who came to say hello, and a parrot who liked to talk! I was amazed by the vultures and the stunning beauty of the owls. There are improvements being made, with a large section in the middle being opened to allow you to walk through an African section, up close and personal with the birds of the savannahs. We couldn't go through it this time, but we will go back. All in all, it took us over an hour to look at all the birds. I am a bit funny about animals being kept in captivity, but I thought the enclosures were clean and interesting.
We continued our visit by walking to the deer park. On a clear Autumn afternoon it was beautiful to see the deer grazing in the lingering mist - very poetic! It is possible to go into the Hall, but I didn't fancy it with a pushchair (it might not even be possible, I didn't check!) There is also a new adventure playground that I imagine will be packed during school holidays. There is a courtyard cafe on site too. Car parking is plentiful, but it is a pay and display car park - make sure you have some change! The paths I used are wheel friendly and there are also picnic tables near the car park. There were signposts to toilets but I didn't use them so cannot comment!
It was a lovely little afternoon out and I'd love to take the little one back when we can talk some more about all the different birds and the deer and maybe have a go on the playground.
http://www.leeds.gov.uk/lothertonhall/
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