On a rainy day a friend and I decided to visit Tropical World in Roundhay, Leeds. I'd never been before, so was probably a little more excited than I should have been! We used the free parking attached to Roundhay Park and pushchairs at the ready we dashed in out of the rain. It costs less than £4 per adult and children under 5 are free. (Entry is also free if you have a Leeds Card). The first section is a tropical butterfly house. The butterflies are beautiful and the fish in the ponds and tanks are impressive, just a little hard to see if you're in a pushchair! The walk continues with gushing waterfalls, birds zooming overhead and tanks full of reptiles. Personally I didn't get too close to the snakes - even a thick glass tank separating us is no tonic to my fear! The parakeets and macaws are amazing and captivated the children. Without a doubt though, the most exciting bit for all is the meerkat enclosure. It's brilliant to see them so close and displaying apparently natural behaviour - clearly I'm not an expert but I've seen Meerkat Manor, I'm sure that counts!
The visit continues through a nocturnal zone which is really interesting for adults and older children, but slightly disconcerting for younger ones and ends in the visitor shop. The site is pushchair friendly, but the paths are not particularly wide, so on a busy day be prepared to negotiate past other prams! We also went during term time and I think it would be very busy during school holidays, especially on wet days!
We ended our visit with a coffee and slice of cake at the Roundhay Fox, mostly because we didn't find the entrance to the on-site cafe. A really lovely afternoon, a clear family favourite, and considering I used to live so near I cannot believe I haven't been before! We'll be going back and taking the Grandparents!
Tropical World
Wednesday 29 September 2010
Saturday 25 September 2010
Temple Newsam
Temple Newsam is a council run stately home and park area which is really local to us. We visited a couple of times in the snow last winter and it was truly magical. Those visits were pre-baby however, which is a completely different experience! I confess to have not yet made it into the house, neither have I eaten in the cafe. The toilets are tiny and barely accessible with a pushchair, but there is fold down baby change if you can work out where to put a baby when not using it!
I know there are lots of walks around Temple Newsam, but we know two ways to access the park - one is to park in the official car park and the other is to park on the side of Bullerthorpe Lane. The walk from Bullerthorpe Lane is my favourite. There is a long avenue of trees which provide a fantastic view of the house. The footpaths are signposted, but there is a walk you can do from this avenue of trees down to a field which often has cows in it. You join a mud track at this point which you can follow to the right, towards the house, or to the left. Taking the track to the left it curves up hill and eventually comes out by the house. This is a lovely walk but is not pushchair friendly.
For a pushchair friendly walk it is better to park in the car park and join the paved tracks around the garden. There are fantastic rhododendron bushes which are particularly beautiful in May and June. I think that's the best time to visit Temple Newsam. There are ducks to feed in the ponds and there is a small animal park to take children to see.
For more details see - www.leeds.gov.uk/templenewsam
Snowy photos from an earlier visit
I know there are lots of walks around Temple Newsam, but we know two ways to access the park - one is to park in the official car park and the other is to park on the side of Bullerthorpe Lane. The walk from Bullerthorpe Lane is my favourite. There is a long avenue of trees which provide a fantastic view of the house. The footpaths are signposted, but there is a walk you can do from this avenue of trees down to a field which often has cows in it. You join a mud track at this point which you can follow to the right, towards the house, or to the left. Taking the track to the left it curves up hill and eventually comes out by the house. This is a lovely walk but is not pushchair friendly.
For a pushchair friendly walk it is better to park in the car park and join the paved tracks around the garden. There are fantastic rhododendron bushes which are particularly beautiful in May and June. I think that's the best time to visit Temple Newsam. There are ducks to feed in the ponds and there is a small animal park to take children to see.
For more details see - www.leeds.gov.uk/templenewsam
Snowy photos from an earlier visit
Monday 13 September 2010
Lotherton Hall
I'd previously dismissed a visit to Lotherton Hall as I'd been there once on a summer evening after work and found there really wasn't very much to see. However, a long day at home on my own with a baby soon encouraged me to try it again! In early Autumn, the little one and I headed for a visit to see if my original opinions still held true.
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/
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/
Sunday 5 September 2010
Clumber Park
We ventured out of Yorkshire for this walk, fancying something a little further afield. Clumber Park is a National Trust site in Sherwood Forest. Not being members we needed to pay on entry at the gates, per car rather than per person. The estate is vast and we were quickly disorientated as the road winds through areas where people were parked having picnics and playing games of cricket. We just kept wondering, "is this it?" We continued to follow the road until we reached a car park. We decided this was a walk suitable for the pram, and had taken a picnic with us. Setting off we were, once again, really confused about where to go and how to get "there" (being slightly unsure what it was we were looking for!) We found a courtyard where people were picking up bikes; it was lovely to see lots of families heading out together and we made a mental note that this is something we could do in a couple of years.
I'll address the negative first. We managed to find an entrance of sorts and headed off walking alongside Clumber Lake. There are loads of geese, the consequences of which are that the grass is absolutely covered in droppings! The map provided with the information at the entrance isn't very helpful at all and we felt lost for the whole trip and almost certainly didn't do the park justice. We followed the path into some woods and wandered along tree lined avenues, beautiful, apart from the danger of being run over by the many bikes and the completely confusing signs (when there are any!) During the whole trip I didn't manage to find a single waste bin, so picnic rubbish, nappies etc all came home with us.
We did find a quiet spot for a picnic, set just back from the lake, without too much of the aforementioned mess! There were lots of families out enjoying a warm September walk, and many people with pushchairs and prams. The paths are largely 'wheel friendly'. In the woods people were doing carvings and clay mouldings and there were activities for children to get involved. We also came across a lovely English scene; a local cricket match, right in the heart of the estate.
All in all it was a lovely day, I just wish we'd taken our own OS map so we'd been able to make best use of the many footpaths and the whole site. Next time we'll know and we'll certainly take a bike or two, and a mat for the picnic!
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
I'll address the negative first. We managed to find an entrance of sorts and headed off walking alongside Clumber Lake. There are loads of geese, the consequences of which are that the grass is absolutely covered in droppings! The map provided with the information at the entrance isn't very helpful at all and we felt lost for the whole trip and almost certainly didn't do the park justice. We followed the path into some woods and wandered along tree lined avenues, beautiful, apart from the danger of being run over by the many bikes and the completely confusing signs (when there are any!) During the whole trip I didn't manage to find a single waste bin, so picnic rubbish, nappies etc all came home with us.
We did find a quiet spot for a picnic, set just back from the lake, without too much of the aforementioned mess! There were lots of families out enjoying a warm September walk, and many people with pushchairs and prams. The paths are largely 'wheel friendly'. In the woods people were doing carvings and clay mouldings and there were activities for children to get involved. We also came across a lovely English scene; a local cricket match, right in the heart of the estate.
All in all it was a lovely day, I just wish we'd taken our own OS map so we'd been able to make best use of the many footpaths and the whole site. Next time we'll know and we'll certainly take a bike or two, and a mat for the picnic!
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
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