Ever seen trampolining goats? If you haven’t taken the kids to Waulkmill Menagerie Petting Farm, there’s still three weeks of the summer holidays left to do so.
Congratulations on making it halfway, by the way.
Waulkmill, near New Deer, offers the closest thing to animal heaven this side of Edinburgh Zoo.
Goats, sheep, pigs, cows, horses and donkeys are just the start, as it became clear this was more than a farm.
Of course, Waulkmill has all those, which you can brush, feed or cuddle to your heart’s content.
But I knew there was something special about the place as I tried to pay my family in.
There was just one problem. A little chick dancing about on top of the card reader.
“Oh that’s Sid, he’s two weeks old,” said the lady behind the desk, as she gently plopped him down on the counter.
Waulkmill a unique experience that has it all
There were rabbits and dogs in the little merchandise shop which serves as the entrance.
Once outside and in the farm, there were animals EVERYWHERE.
It hasn’t been the sunniest summer on record, but we got lucky with the weather and the place was full of happy kids in shorts and T-shirts.
My three – aged between 3 and 13 – loved it, but I do wonder if they loved it as much as my wife and I.
Certainly I could feel the endorphins coursing through me as a tiny baby goat ate out of my hand.
The goats mingled with the sheep, who were equally lovely. Your hand just sinks into their wool. Oreo the two-month-old black sheep in particular was gorgeous.
There were trampolines, swings and climbing frames, which I assumed were for children.
It took me a minute, but I realised these weren’t for the benefit of children, but the animals.
Sure enough, a couple of goats hopped up on a trampoline and happily wobbled away.
My 10-year-old daughter hopped on with them, the delight on her face plain to see. It took me a while to prise her off.
Waulkmill is a unique experience – although older than many of the kids there, my daughter had never in her life shared a trampoline with baby goats. I assume not many have.
Waulkmill bad boys and the prison for naughty animals
The animals – all hand-reared – were clearly very happy, free to roam around, play, and mingle.
Although the animals were very friendly, there is a ‘Prison for Naughty Animals’.
I wondered what Stephen, Bertie, Max and Magic had done to serve time, until I held out some food and two goats butted horns to get at it.
Moving on, there’s Cleo the emu. According to those working at Waulkmill, she now thinks she is a goat. She certainly liked getting her neck stroked.
Although there seemed to be more goats than other animals, there were also geese, ducks, guinea pigs, meerkats, tortoises, all sorts. Waulkmill has more than 130 animals so I couldn’t possibly remember them all.
But a personal favourite were the pigs.
“I like pigs,” said Churchill. “Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” I’ve always loved them as well.
Three big, handsome specimens rooted about lazily. I’m no expert but they looked like Kunekunes.
They did their own thing quietly until you threw over some food, at which they’d trot up, grunting appreciatively, and ‘hing in’.
An affordable and memorable experience for the kids
There are a handful of petting farms in Aberdeenshire – my kids love animals so we’ve done a few. But the problem is that they aren’t always affordable.
Waulkmill, on the other hand, is great value for money. We paid £34 for a family of five, which included five generous cups of animal feed.
The merchandise shop also has loads of cute gifts. We bought a T-shirt for our three-year-old for just £7.
And crucially, no booking is required. Something of a luxury for parents worn down by the constant need to plan and organise during the holidays. If the sun’s out, and you’ve nothing planned, you can just jump in the car.
That said, Waulkmill does birthday parties, tour group bookings, and you can even adopt an animal.
It’s also worth mentioning that Waulkmill is a very authentic experience. Lying about halfway between New Deer and New Pitsligo, it’s deep in farming country. There’s nothing manufactured about it. The only man-made element is the park equipment for the animals.
I’m one of thousands of parents across the north-east at something of a loss as to what to do with the rest of the kids’ holidays.
But I can heartily recommend Waulkmill Menagerie Petting Farm, particularly if you want to give them an experience they’ll remember long after the holidays are over.
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