Don't run over the peacocks, please!
Especially the ghostly, white one.
Family ticket: £18.50
Yesterday, the boy, Himself, Daughter number Three and Granddaughter number One and I wound our way up the A696 north of Ponteland and followed the signs to Kirkley Hall because we thought we were following the route to a sweet, little petting zoo.
Well, what we found was even better: a proper and exotic little zoo with a great conservation ethos set in the grounds of Kirkley Hall's Horticultural College.
Kirkley Hall was built on higher ground and the views of farmland and country garden around it are inspiring. It was one of those grand country villas but now has many surrounding parts dedicated to agricultural research and education. And it has this zoo.
There is a wide range of animals, birds, amphibians, reptiles from the four corners of the globe, which the children loved. Meet Oscar, the blue and yellow parrot, say, "Hello," to the wallabies who lounge so tranquilly in the sun or sing "KOOKABURRA" to our Australian friends. There are fat-bellied pigs, goats, capybaras and an axolotl. And there are lots and lots of rabbits and guinea pigs. One little baby rabbit snuggled down in her straw (and closely supervised) was allowing herself to be petted - so we did get to pet a cute little bunny after all.
An hour and a half later we were ready for a cup of tea in the garden beyond the orangerie and the boy was determined to try out the climbing frame. This was a great afternoon out for the whole family. We may be back for the open air play of Pride and Prejudice later on in the summer and there's a version of Peter Pan and of Macbeth too.
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