Lambs – cute, cuddly and at a farm near you. As farmers have their hands full dealing with Spring newborns, you can see this marvel up close too.
Lambing Weekend
Easton Campus, Easton & Otley College, February 25-26, 10am-4pm, £5, £2 under-16s, under-5s free, 01603 731200, www.eastonotley.ac.uk
The Norfolk campus of Easton and Otley College hosts their eighth annual lambing weekend that sees it open its doors to the general public. Last year, record numbers attended as the college welcomed around 10,000 visitors to a location situated in the village of Easton, next door to the Norfolk showground. There will be a chance to watch lambs being born and taking their first steps and understand more about the lifecycle of sheep. Other attractions on both days will include tractor and trailer tours, arts and craft stalls, sheepdog demonstrations and other animals that can be seen in their natural habitat including piglets and highland calves. This year the event coincides with the derby match between Norwich City and Ipswich Town and there will be a competition to name a lamb after a local football legend.
Wroxham Junior Farm
Wroxham Barns, Hoveton, Norfolk, until June, open daily 10am-5pm, farm admission £6.25 per person, under-2s free, 01603 783762, wroxhambarns.co.uk
Cuteness overload on Junior Farm at Wroxham Barns as orphan lambs arrive from local farms and visitors will be able to help the staff bottle-feed these tiny babies. Wroxham Barns is one of very few places in East Anglia where visitors can bottle-feed lambs so early in the year. Feeding sessions take place every day in the main barn at 11am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm. Children and adults alike can have a go at feeding and learn more about them from the dedicated team taking care of them on the farm. It's always hugely popular and enjoyed by all ages. There is also a full programme of other daily activities including cuddle, grooming and feeding sessions with the lambs, goats, pigs, rabbits, chick and ponies as well as indoor play and crafts.
Lambing Live
Snettisham Park, Snettisham, near King's Lynn, daily 10am-3pm, farm only £7 (£6 cons), £6 children, £22 family, 01485 542425, www.snettishampark.co.uk
Spring has most definitely sprung in the shape of a batch of new baby lambs down on the farm at Snettisham Park, a traditional Norfolk farm. They have a bumper number of new arrivals too as the first flock of 220 ewes were expecting more than 400 lambs. One brave mum gave a surprise by giving birth to quads when they were expecting triplets. Despite the total weight of all four lambs being 15kg, she looked remarkably relaxed — and relieved — afterwards. A further 200 ewes also due to lamb over the spring. All lamb indoors enabling visitors to see 'lambing live', as well as ewes with newborn lambs at foot taking their first steps - a truly special experience.
Church Farm
Stow Bardolph, Downham Market, until May 1, 10.30am-4pm, £7.70 (£7.30 cons), £7.30 children, £5 aged 2, under-2s free, £28 family, 01366 382162, www.churchfarmstowbardolph.co.uk
Lambing season is getting underway and the 'maternity ward' at Church Farm at Stow Bardolph. They now have new born lambs, with more on the way. Love the lamb sessions take place daily at 10.30am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm and 4pm daily, where you can have a go at bottle feeding and give them a cuddle. There are also lambs being born all the time, so you may be lucky enough to see it. There are lots of other baby animals waiting to be born during the spring too, hopefully including piglets, calves, ducklings, baby guinea pigs, baby giant rabbits and goat kids. Church Farm is in Stow Bardolph, just off the A10, North of Downham Market, 10 miles south of King's Lynn and 15 miles north of Ely.
Melsop Farm Park
Ellingham Road, Scoulton, near Watton, Tues-Sun 10am-5pm, £7 (£6 cons), £6 children, £4 aged-2, under-2s free, 01953 851943, www.melsopfarmpark.co.uk
There are lots of fluffy babies to coo over at Melsop this time of year including the cute and adorable lambs and visitors can get close to the little bundles on this friendly farm. The farm has various different breeds of sheep, many are rare breeds including Balwen, Ryeland, Norfolk Horn, Kerry Hill, Herdwick, Hungarian Screw-Horn and Ouessant, the smallest sheep in the world whose lambs are truly tiny (and consequently super cute). Lambs are favourites with visitors at this time of the year, but you can also meet many other residents on the farm including cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens.
Lambs at Felbrigg, Ickworth and Orford Ness
Felbrigg Estate, Norfolk, April 14-17, 10.30am-4.30pm, £6, £4 (ages 3-12), 01263 837250, nationaltrust.org.uk
The National Trust properties at Felbrigg, Ickworth and Orford Ness all offer the chance to see new or recently born spring lambs. The best is at Felbrigg Hall Farm where tenant farmers, Graham and Wendy Williams, offer visitors the chance to see the new born lambs on their farm on open days on the second weekend in April and then again over the Easter bank holiday. Their's is a working farm and their sheep are due to lamb over Easter so there is every chance you might see a ewe giving birth. They also have cows and calves, day-old chicks, goats and 'old-time' tractors. Meanwhile at Ickworth they are expecting 2,000 lambs to be born this spring. Look out for the new arrivals on a walk around the park. At Orford Ness, the shephard, Andrew, looks after a flock of 100 sheep on the Suffolk coast with his sheepdog Kite. You will be able to see their new arrivals this spring.
Lambing Time
Wimpole Home Farm, Arrington, Cambridgeshire, April 18-May 7, 10.30am-5pm, £11.50, £5.80 children, 01223 206000, nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpole-estate
Lambing activities at Wimpole takes place a little later into the spring, running on dates from April 18 through to May 7. With around 300 ewes pregnant, they expect to see around 600 lambs this spring, with one or two lambs born to each ewe. You will be able to celebrate the arrivals by watching the frolics of new born lambs and learn about of the life of sheep. You may witness a live birth, if not you'll certainly see lambs during their first few hours of life. Most of the sheep on the National Trust farm are rare breeds. There are 10 different breeds altogether these include Portland's, Manx Logthan, Hebridean, Soays and Norfolk Horns to name a few. The farm staff will be on hand to explain more.
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