D has been working on the kitchen quite a lot recently which has meant we've not really had much time with him over the weekends and other than popping to the shops, we've not been out for the day for a while. Last weekend, we decided that we'd take the girls out for one of the days, leaving the other free for D, and giving them chance to get out with us both.  

After a little deliberation, we decided to head to Pensthorpe Natural Park, somewhere I have been wanting to go for quite a while. After showing the girls some photos, they were quite insistent that was were we should be going.  



Located just outside of Fakenham, Pensthorpe is set across 700 acres, with over 4 miles of trails and gardens to explore.  The area is covered in ponds and lakes and is home to many species of animal - we saw ducks, geese, flamingos, cranes, ibis, red squirrel, long horn cattle and sheep.


We did have the option of going on the Pensthorpe Explorer, which is a warden led tour but we decided against it as I just wasn't convinced that the girls would sit still and enjoy the hour long tour.

 The ducks and geese are all quite tame. And bold, when they realise there is the chance of food!  We were able to purchase bags of land or wet food from the shop when we arrived and the girls absolutely loved being able to feed them.

We enjoyed walking through the different trails and seeing how they were laid out.  For me, I loved the wildflower meadow, even though I didn't spot any actual flowers, it was so tranquil there.  Scattered throughout the park are lots of different sculptures which gave us all something else to look out for.




 If you were to ask the girls, I'm sure that they would say that their best part of the day was Wildrootz and Hootzhouse, the indoor and outdoor play areas, although they were a little disappointed that they were unable to splash in the steam (lack of planning on my part!)

There were a couple of things that I noticed about the park. Firstly just how friendly and helpful the staff were throughout, which makes a huge difference. And secondly, just how tidy and clean everywhere was. There were bins dotted throughout which I think makes a huge difference, it was lovely not to see any litter strewn about.

All in all, we had a great day out and I would happily visit again.