Spooky fun at Lotherton Hall

We fancied a walk and some half term fun after the weather and a nasty virus had us cooped up at home, so headed to Lotherton Hall, not far from Leeds just off the A1.

With a spooky scarecrow trail, adventure playground and lovely grounds to wander in it was just the outing we needed. It was busy when we arrived and we made our way up to the field parking. I hadn’t realised how muddy it was until I was parked but we had come armed with boots, so no need to worry. Or was there? Well, more of that later!

We got our spooky trail sheet from the shop with a map of all the scarecrows we needed to find, including some inside the Edwardian house where there was also dressing up and craft activities. We’ve visited Lotherton before but not been inside the house, so once our muddy feet were safely inside protective overshoes we set off to explore inside.

After discovering the spooky residents of the house, we looked around the grounds, the kids really getting into finding the scarecrows and enjoying the ones that had sound effects. We loved the witches in the wood and the kids considered leaving me there.

We had lunch on a bench outside the house with a pet stick that had accompanied us on the trail, a play in the adventure playground and a walk to see the deer from the deer hide. A great few hours spent outside but now was time to go and retrieve the car.

I knew as soon as my wheels were on the field that this was probably a bad idea. Cars were now parked in front of mine so the only way out was to reverse out of the mud. I took it slowly but despite my best efforts I got stuck. Stuck in the mud literally!

Luckily there were some knights in shining armour, ok, lovely groundsmen in a quad vehicle but they pushed me out and we were free for our next adventure.

What the kids say:

“It was fun and exciting and we enjoyed the trail” Mountain Goat 9 yrs

“The trail was spooky. My friends would like it” Little Legs 6 yrs

Our top tips:

Take your wellies /boots and bags to put them in when you’ve finished. Rain the night before had made parts quite muddy when we went.

Don’t miss the bird garden – we didn’t go in this time and its having some renovations but we’ve enjoyed it in the past.

We paid £12 for an adult and two kids over 5 yrs.

I’ve received no incentive to write this, all views are honest and my own.

8 comments Add yours
  1. I love the spooky trail they had on there, the scarecrows are amazing, I bet they really made the trail feel very Halloweeny. It’s great that the kids enjoyed the trail, autumnal walks are always more fun with a theme but some Halloween trails can be a little too spooky. This is definitely the perfect way to blow away the cobwebs after being stuck inside for a couple of days.

    Thanks for linking up with me on #CountryKids.

    1. It was lovely to have a trail that kept the kids interested and excited about what they might find next. But you’re right, it was at the right spooky level. Thanks for reading.

  2. ooooo this looked like lots of spooky fun. Halloween isn’t that big over here in Sweden so it is nice to read about what’s going on over in the UK. Certainly an exciting end to your day as well getting a little stuck! #countrykids

    1. It was a fun day out and I’m getting more into Halloween as the kids are enjoying it. I hadn’t realised it wasn’t big in Sweden. Every field we’ve been near since the kids have laughed and asked if we’re going to get stuck!

  3. Lotherton Hall looks really spooky, maybe a bit too much for a young-un like me, thank goodness your knight in shinning amour was there to pull you out of the mud x #CountryKids

    1. The trail was great fun. I’m not sure what I’d have done if my Knights in Shining armour hadn’t turned up! Thanks for reading.

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