Visiting Us
We can't wait to see you
There are many ways you can support us including donations of money or goods such as animal feed, cleaning equipment or items for our charity shop.
Membership is a great way to support us and you receive great benefits yourself. Starting from only £5 a month, membership gives you unlimited entry to the rescue centre.
Why not think about leaving Wetheriggs Animal Rescue a gift in your will. Legacies are a great way of supporting charities like ourselves as they provide us with security for the future of the rescue centre and all the animals we care for.
OUR ANIMALS
Since Wetheriggs first started in 2006, we have rescued and cared for thousands of animals. Throughout the past 10 years we have looked after Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Alpacas, Horses, Snakes, Meerkats, Raccoons, Parrots, Bats, Chickens, Goats, Ducks, Foxes, Marmosets, Ferrets, Owls, Pigs, Donkeys, Lizards, Rats, Pigeons, Genets, Tamarins, Hedgehogs, Snails, Scorpions, Mice, Tarantulas and many many more.
OPENING
TIMES
Opening Times
We are now open 7 days a week
Notes
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CLOSED ALL OTHER TIMES
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We are closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.
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During winter if weather conditions are snowy or icy we advise to ring before you visit to check we are open or whether any of your visit will be affected.
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Last entry is 2pm. Make sure you leave enough time to enjoy your visit and see all of our wonderful animals.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
10am - 3pm
10am - 3pm
10am - 3pm
10am - 3pm
10am - 3pm
10am - 3pm
10am - 3pm
FRIENDS OF
WETHERIGGS
We offer a range of membership options providing you with unlimited entry to the park.
Our family package gives admission for 2 adults and up to 4 children for only £10 a month.
Don't have children? No worries, we have an option for couples for £7 a month, and just £5 a month for individuals.
Alternatively collect and fill in a membership form when you visit and pay for your first month in cash.
Family with Gift Aid: £26 - Pay only £10 for a family if you join as members. See below for details.
2 adults & up to 4 children/concessions
For more information about membership and to sign up please visit the Membership page, click below!
ADMISSION
PRICES
Ticket Type | Price | Price (With Gift Aid) |
|---|---|---|
Adult | £8.50 | £9 |
Two Adults | £16 | £18 |
Family Ticket (2 Adults & Up to 4 Children) | £25 | £26.50 |
Children (3-15 Years Old) | £7.50 | £8 |
Children (Under 3) | Free | Free |
Carers | £7.50 | £8 |
Seniors | £7.50 | £8 |
Student | £7.50 | £8 |
Shop
One Bag of Feed £1.00
Three Bags of Feed £2.75
Six Bags of Feed £5.00
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Gift Aid is a vital part of our income. For a small additional charge on your ticket, we are able to claim back 25% of your admission fees from the Government!
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You must be a UK Taxpayer over the age of 18, please ask about Gift Aid when you visit us. Thank you for your donations, we appreciate all you do for us at Wetheriggs.
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Children 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
SITE
INFORMATION
Accessibility
Wetheriggs Animal Rescue is situated at Thorpe Farm Centre. The centre runs as a caravan and camping site as well as a visitor centre housing a café, farm and gift shop, a reclamation barn and the rescue centre. The site also houses a working farm meaning there may be large farm vehicles in action during your visit. Please take care when in the car park areas.
Main Entrance
At the beginning of 2017 we moved into a new building on site. The building is situated at the top end of the car park, directly opposite the café. The entrance is round to the left side of the building. This building houses our gift shop and many of our animals, as well as various activities. Wristbands for admission to see the animals can be purchased here.
Paddocks
A large proportion of our animals are housed outside in the paddocks. This area is separate to the main entrance and requires visitors to walk across the car park and a small road to visit. Visitors are required to purchase wristbands from the main entrance before visiting the paddocks.
The paddock walkways are all grass, and as such can be quite wet in poor weather conditions. We recommend wearing suitable outdoor footwear during your visit.
Café
There is a café at Thorpe Farm. The café is not run as part of Wetheriggs but visitors are very welcome to enjoy a drink and a meal or snack here.
Toilets & baby changing
Toilets including disabled facilities are located next to the farm and gift shop near the café. Unfortunately we do not have any toilets within our own buildings at this time.
Dogs
Dogs are allowed around the outside paddocks and animal areas. They must be kept on leads and under control at all times. Unfortunately dogs are not allowed in the inside animal areas or the café. Please clean up after dogs using the bins provided.
First Aid
First aid kits can be found at the main entrance and in the café. The majority of our keepers are first aid trained. If anyone in your group receives any injuries during your visit, please inform a member of staff immediately. You will be asked for details such as how the injury happened and the location the injury occurred. This information will be used to fill in our accident book.
Site Rules
We like our visitors to have as much freedom as possible to make your visit an enjoyable and memorable day, but we do have some rules in place to make sure you and our animals stay safe at all times.
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No food or drink allowed within the animal areas.
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The outside areas have grass walkways which can often be damp. We recommend wearing suitable footwear. Sandals and other similar footwear is not advised.
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Wetheriggs is a NO SMOKING site. Smoking is not allowed within the Animal Barn and all outdoor paddock areas. Visitors are welcome to smoke within the carpark and outdoor seating areas near the café.
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Children must be supervised at all times. We cannot be held responsible if an unsupervised child gets injured during your visit.
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Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult. We cannot be held responsible for unaccompanied children getting injured.
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Do not feed anything to the animals apart from the food purchased at the main entrance. Only feed the outdoor paddock animals.
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All animals can bite. Please remember this when touching or feeding. Always hold your hand flat when feeding, and take your hand away as soon as the food has been eaten.
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Always wash your hands thoroughly after feeding and touching animals. Wash hands with soap for at least 20 seconds before rinsing and dry hands completely afterwards. Hand gels and wipes are not a substitute. A hand wash area can be found at the main entrance.
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When feeding and touching animals, do not put fingers in mouths or near eyes.
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Never touch any animal faeces. This sounds obvious, but children sometimes like to touch anything and everything.
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Please dispose of any rubbish in the bins provided around the site. We try to keep the site tidy and we appreciate our visitors supporting this. We also don't want any animals to eat anything they shouldn't by mistake. If any waste ends up in any animal enclosures, please inform a staff member who will be happy to retrieve the waste product.
VISITING
WETHERIGGS
Wetheriggs Animal Rescue is easy to find, situated on the A66 between Barnard Castle and Scotch Corner. The centre is found at Thorpe Farm Centre which is also a caravan and camping site. There is a café and farm shop on site.
We are about 40 minutes from Penrith, and 15 minutes from Darlington. Look out for signs for Thorpe Farm Centre and caravan and camping signs. The centre has two entrances from the A66, you can enter via either of these.
Coming from the West
the first turn off you come to takes you past the new static caravans on site. Continue past these and follow signs for the Café, we are located close to the cafe with plenty of parking.
You can also take the second turn off (please note, this second turn off has no slip lane). If you turn in here, you turn onto a small lane, once on this lane, take the first left to bring you to the main car park for Wetheriggs and the café.
Coming from the East
the first turn off takes you onto a small lane, on your right will be our paddocks. Once on this small lane, take the first turn on the left into the main car park, you will see the cafe and our main entrance here.