What a hidden gem!! I’d never heard of Goxhill, and never tried an animal experience, so when Goxhill Meadows rang and asked if we’d like to go to theirs I jumped at the chance. Here’s how we got on….
Goxhill is a beautiful hamlet located a few miles inland from Hornsea, all you can see for miles around is countryside and green fields. Jayne and her family bought the small-holding 3 years ago and have created an amazing space that they are now opening up to share with families. They have glamping pods on one field if you want to stay, then a variety of animals in the other fields which you can meet on an animal experience.
The animal experiences last around 2 hours, we arrived at 1pm on a sunny Saturday to start ours. My children are not used to being around animals, our only pets are 2 rabbits and 3 goldfish, and both can be a bit jumpy around dogs, horses etc. Jayne was fantastic with my children, reassuring them and making sure we did everything at their pace. She used to work in education and as we went around she was also teaching them loads about the animals, what they like and don’t like and staying safe, as well as lots of facts.
We started with the alpacas – Boggis, Bunce and Bean (from Fantastic Mr Fox!). My daughter was really shy at first but ended up stroking one, my son was straight in for a stroke. Jayne’s daughter helps look after the animals and was handling the alpacas. They were so soft and fluffy and absolutely gorgeous! Next stop was the goat pen where Jayne showed us how they like to play.
My son is allergic to horses so we avoided the big horses and tried the Shetland ponies; he’d had a dose of anti-histamine and was absolutely fine, much to my relief. We could choose what to do with them – grooming, plaiting their hair or walking them so we chose a country walk. Walking along the lane and over the fields was fantastic, it was so tranquil and beautiful, a really uplifting experience. The ponies liked stopping for grass so we took our time, stopping to see an St Giles church (a very old, listed building) and the amazing views.
We spent around 2 hours with the animals and then decided to head across to the beach to enjoy the rest of the days sunshine. Jayne gave my children a lovely gift bag with animal themed colouring, pens, shaped crayons and activities to take home. It was a really lovely afternoon together as a family doing something completely different, it’s certainly something we won’t forget.
If you want to stay longer, they also have a fantastic glamping site with 3 landpods. It is an eco-site with everything being as environmentally friendly as possible. Lights are run on solar panels, the toilets are compost and it is all set up with nature in mind. The communal kitchen and toilet/shower rooms are even made out of old, upcycled horse boxes!
The animal experience costs £55 per family group and lasts around 2 hours. They also do group trips for SEN and animal therapy. Prices for a landpod start at £69 per night, and if you do an animal experience whilst staying at the glamping site you get £10 off.
Full details about Goxhill Meadows and booking can be found on their website here.
