The Garden House Marple
BEST FOR
Ages 3+
ENTRY
from £3.50
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Stockport
What it’s like
Free-roaming pigs, alpacas and Shetland ponies to feed and a riverside walk, for £3.50 a head.
This isn't a petting zoo, and they're upfront about it. The animals, pigs, alpacas, donkeys, goats, Shetland ponies, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks and geese, mostly free roam the site, so you'll bump into the pigs and ponies wandering the riverside walk rather than penned up waiting for you. You buy food on site to feed them (your own snacks are off limits) and you're expected to keep an eye on your kids the whole time, since anything with a mouth can nip if it's startled.
At £3.50 a head for anyone aged three and up, or £12.50 for a family ticket covering two adults and two kids, it's cheap enough that a short visit doesn't feel like a waste of money. There's a sensory garden and an outdoor play area too, so a three or four-year-old who tires of animal-spotting has somewhere else to go. Given it's outdoor and unstructured, an hour or two is probably the natural length of a visit rather than a full day out.
The on-site car park gets busy and the access road is pot-holed and unmade, which is the kind of thing that catches you out with a buggy or a bad back. They'd rather you parked at Brabyns Brow public car park and walked in along the riverside instead, which is no bad thing if the weather's decent. The Riverside Café and Icy Bar does drinks, snacks and ice cream from 11am to 3pm, mostly at outdoor tables with a few undercover in the barn shed, so a soggy day might mean a squeeze for shelter.
It's open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, and closed Mondays including bank holidays, so don't turn up on a Monday hoping to sneak in. Families and individuals just pay on the gate, no booking needed, though groups and organisations have to book ahead with a few days' notice.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- Ages 3 to 8, with plenty of animals to spot and feed
- Booking
- Families and individuals pay on the gate
- Parking
- On-site car park available but recommended to use local public car park (Brabyns Brow) and walk via riverside walk
- Food
- Riverside Cafe and Icy Bar CIC (separate organisation), open 11am-3pm, mostly outdoor seating with undercover tables in barn shed
- Dogs
- Must be kept on a short (not extendable) lead at all times
- Getting there by bus or train
- 10 minute walk from Marple train station
- This isn't a petting zoo; animals roam free and children need supervising the whole visit
- The café runs weekends only through winter, not the daily hours you get in summer
- Blue Badge holders get disabled parking on site, subject to availability
- Coaches can't park on Lakes Road; they need to drop off and pick up on Arkwright Road
- It's a 10 minute walk from Marple train station if you fancy leaving the car behind
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
£3.50 for anyone aged three or over. A family day ticket covering two adults and up to two children is £12.50.
Do we need to book?
Families and individuals just pay on the gate. Organisations and groups need to book at least three working days ahead.
What are the opening hours?
Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Closed every Monday, including bank holidays, plus Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Is it suitable for a toddler?
Entry starts at age three. The animals free roam and can bite if startled, so young children need watching closely rather than left to wander off on their own.
Can the kids feed the animals?
Yes, you buy animal feed on site to hand out. You're not allowed to feed them your own food.
Is there food on site?
The Riverside Café and Icy Bar does drinks, snacks and ice cream, usually open 11am to 3pm. Seating's mostly outdoors with a few undercover tables in the barn shed.
What about parking?
There's an on-site car park but it gets busy and the access road is pot-holed. They suggest using Brabyns Brow public car park and walking in along the riverside instead.
How long do people stay?
It's an outdoor site built around animal-spotting and a riverside walk, so an hour or two covers it comfortably.
Can we bring the dog?
Dogs are allowed on a short, non-extendable lead, though some areas aren't accessible for dogs since animals roam free.
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