WHY VISIT WOLDIES
Everything at Woldies is made for to you enjoy quality time together as a family.
Days out are precious, with busy work, school and home lives we aim to create a different kind of day out. One where you can have a memorable and fun day together and recharge and connect with each other. All in a slice of beautiful Yorkshire Wolds paradise!
Friends and families of all generations love exploring, playing and having fun at Woldies with activities that are designed to be enjoyed together.
We aim to create a safe place for families & friends to spend time together outside. Enjoy wild, open, imaginative play, access our special local nature and learn about what’s around us in a fun, engaging and lasting way. When you love something it’s easy to enjoy it and protect it, we want to spark that love for outside play and access to nature for people of all ages!
Danny, Sarah and their family created the idea for Woldies in 2019. Building on the special place on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds, started as Wolds Way Lavender in 2001 by Steve and Anne (Sarah’s Mum and Dad). Everything you see at Woldies today has been planted and developed to create a unique environment, a magnet for bees, butterflies, birds and insects and a huge natural area to explore!
Run by Danny, Sarah, our family and our small team. Visitors love our friendly, personal service.
We have made lots of additions over the last few years and have exciting plans to come. There are 12 acres to explore, with exciting discoveries around every turn, to keep you entertained for more than the day!
Freedom to play outside and discover nature together
Woldies natural play spaces give children (and big children!) space and freedom to play outside and connect with nature. Use your imaginations, solve problems, test limits and make lifelong memories together.
Nature play can benefit physical, mental and social development. Research shows benefits including improved self-confidence, independence and resilience, improved strength, coordination, stamina and balance, healthy brain development, better sleep and improved emotional wellbeing.
At Woldies we make outdoor play and exploring effortless to enable you all to switch off, escape ‘busy’, and spend quality time together.
SUSTAINABILITY
Wherever we can we aim to run Woldies sustainably and continue to work to improve, for example:
- More than 20,000 trees have been planted here at Woldies since 2001! With an additional 1500 planted in the last 18 months. As well as 10’s of thousands of plants, planned to improve biodiversity.
- We design areas using natural, sustainably sourced materials. For example, wooden play equipment and activities and natural stone paths.
- We use locally sourced, recycled, peat free compost.
- Lavender oil is distilled at Woldies in our wood fired distillery, from plants grown and harvested here. The still uses water from the fish ponds to cool the oil, then cycles it back in (the fish love the warm water).
- Woldies Wolds Way Lavender products are packed in recyclable packing. Our mail orders are posted in recyclable packing.
See more about how we help local and national wildlife here
- Heat and energy for the buildings here are produced from ground source heat pumps, solar water heater panels, and solar electric panels.
- All Woldies rubbish is sorted externally and recycled.
- Recyclable product packaging for food and drinks.
- We use recycled paper for printing, trail sheets for visitors and brochures.
- Products in the gift shop are chosen for improved sustainability, from local companies and from companies that work to improve their impact on the environment. For example, toy tractors made from wheat straw, toys and books made from sustainable wood, teddies made from recycled plastic bottles.
- Food and drink in the Teahive Takeaway is sourced from local companies.
- We also aim to inspire visitors to learn about nature, love their environment and make positive changes where they can.
WOLDIES WAY
Follow Woldies Way for ideas and inspiration about what you can do at home
Woldies is all about exploring nature together and making nature accessible for everyone. We want to engage visitors to learn in a fun way and be inspired to protect nature and make positive changes where they can.
Follow Woldies Way for ideas and inspiration about what you can do at home for example growing a wildflower patch, planting a tree, putting up a bird box, putting up a bat box, or making a bee or bug hotel.
Visiting Woldies you will spot many ways we give nature a helping hand:
- Woldies nature gardens, wildflower meadows, woodland and lavender are designed to encourage wildlife. Carefully selected trees and plants provide food and shelter for a wide variety of species. Homes of all shapes and sizes are used throughout Woldies to provide homes for birds, bees, insects, bats and more.
- Surveys help to monitor species at Woldies, locally and nationally. Moths, butterflies, birds, dragonflies, insects, bees and bats have all been surveyed here.
- Look out for ‘Woldies Watch’ board when visiting to see what has been spotted recently.
- Don’t forget to take part in Woldies nature mission. Get your nature mission booklet (included with admission) and complete each mission to be able to collect your stamps and claim your Nature Hero sticker.
- Woldies new nature reserve area is currently under development. This builds on an area with old lavender which has old woody stems perfect for insects and moths to hibernate. By designing the area and adding trees and shrubs in places, we hope to attract more ground nesting and other birds, mammals and insects. An observation hive and information boards and activities will offer further education and areas to connect with nature.
