A logo for Northcote Heavy Horses & Animals featuring silhouettes of a horse, cow, pig, goat, and sheep, along with the text Providing a loving home to animals big and small.
Visiting Us
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A circular Animals Logo for Northcote Heavy Horses features silhouettes of various animals on a yellow background, with the text “Providing a loving home to animals big and small” round the edge.

Amazing Family Days Out

Nestled on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds close to Skegness, our volunteer-run sanctuary offers relaxed, hands-on animal experiences for families of all ages — from pony grooming and animal encounters to learning about the stories of our much-loved residents.

Open from April - Learn more about entry information

Unforgettable Experiences

Our visitor centre offers memorable, hands-on animal experiences for the whole family to enjoy together.

By taking part in our animal handling activities, you’re not only creating special memories, but also directly supporting the care and welfare of our resident animals.

A young child in a blue coat gently strokes the face of a small, black pony lying on sandy ground indoors near a wall with a stone pattern.
A young girl in a light blue raincoat and pink shoes feeds a goat through a wooden fence, holding a pink-striped bag, with grass and a dirt path in the background.
A group of children and adults sit in a circle on grass, surrounding a triangular structure made of tubes and a large orange ball in the centre, enjoying an outdoor activity on a sunny day.
A young girl wearing a light-coloured shirt and shorts stands on grass, smiling and holding a rope attached to a large white llama. Trees and parked cars are visible in the background.

Experiences to try...

There are plenty of activities to enjoy during your visit, including horse and pony grooming and walking, llama walking, goat feeding, and ferret playtime sessions. On selected days, we also offer the chance to hold a bird of prey.

How much do activities cost?

As our visitor centre is part of our animal sanctuary, we do our best to keep activity costs low. Pony grooming is free and included with your entry (by donation). Other activities typically cost around £3.00 per person.

Meet all of the animals!

From the tiniest horses to our mighty heavy horses — along with goats, pigs, birds of prey, llamas, and more — there’s plenty to meet and discover during your visit.

Horses of all sizes

We are home to over a dozen horses, ranging from tiny Falabella miniature horses (one of the smallest breeds in the world!) to the largest and mightiest of Shire horses.

Birds of prey

Our sanctuary is home to several birds of prey, including Morgana, an impressively sized Eurasian eagle owl. We’re also proud to care for Kookie, our resident kookaburra from Australia.

Goats, pigs, llamas & more

We have several cheeky goats, ever-hungry pigs, curious llamas and alpacas, and lots of playful ferrets. You’ll also meet our chickens, aviary birds, and many other animals along the way.

Plan Your Visit

Our visitor centre is open seasonally, from Easter until the end of the summer school holidays. As a rural, outdoor sanctuary, we’re unable to open year-round. Please check the calendar below to see our upcoming open days.

When open, gates are open from 11am–3pm, with animal handling activities usually taking place between 12pm–2pm. Activities vary from day to day, so we recommend arriving early to make the most of your visit.

 

Entry & What to Expect

Entry to the sanctuary is free, although donations are very welcome (excluding special events). Some activities carry a small additional cost, while others, such as pony grooming, are free. Bags of animal feed are available to purchase so you can help feed our resident animals.

We have a large free parking field, accept debit and credit cards, and welcome well-behaved dogs on leads.

Sanctuary Saturdays

Join us on selected Saturdays for a relaxed animal experience at our sanctuary. These pre-booked sessions offer a calmer, more personal way to explore the centre, with time to learn about the animals and the care they receive.

Your visit includes a variety of gentle activities, which may include pony grooming, llama walking, ferret handling, and the chance to meet and help feed some of our resident animals. Throughout the session, our volunteers will share short insights into the animals’ stories, personalities, and life here at the sanctuary.

Sessions are limited in number, helping to create a friendly, family-focused atmosphere where visitors of all ages can enjoy meaningful time with the animals, while still having space to look around and enjoy the surroundings.

Advance booking is essential. Please see the link below for available dates and booking details.

Purchase Tickets
A man in a black hoodie and sunglasses stands by a wooden fence, smiling, while a goat with a collar leans over the fence and nuzzles his arm. Trees and green grass are visible in the background.

Upcoming Events

For over 30 years we have been hosting incredible family fun events. From Medieval action, movie nights to spooky Halloween walks. Learn more and book now on our events page.

Browse Our Events

Accessibility

We do our best to make our sanctuary welcoming and accessible for all visitors. While much of the site is outdoors and set on natural ground, many areas are level and easy to enjoy at a relaxed pace.

We have indoor facilities including a gift shop, café, and toilets, as well as a large free field car park nearby. Well-behaved dogs are welcome on leads.

If you have any specific accessibility needs or would like to chat through your visit in advance, please feel free to get in touch — we’re always happy to help where we can.

A group of people in a crowd.
A group of children and adults sit in a circle on grass, surrounding a triangular structure made of tubes and a large orange ball in the centre, enjoying an outdoor activity on a sunny day.

Groups and School Visits

We welcome larger group and school visits and can tailor a visit to suit your needs. This may include a personalised tour and a range of age-appropriate activities, depending on your group. If you’d like to arrange a group visit or discuss specific requirements, please get in touch. We also have ample space available for coach parking.

A smiling person wearing a red apron stands behind the counter of a small café, with snacks, drinks, and coffee supplies displayed. A mural with horses and people is painted on the wall behind them.

Hens Nest Cafe

Our on-site café serves a selection of simple, snacks and lite bites, including sandwiches, toasties, jacket potatoes, and a range of daily specials. We aim to keep prices fair and offer a friendly, relaxed atmosphere for visitors. The café is dog friendly and accepts card payments. We can also host private functions, parties, and small events. Please visit our Hire Us page to find out more.

What our visitors are saying!

We would love to hear your comments and see your pictures from your visit, please feel free to submit them on our contact us page. We may even share them here on our website and Facebook!

John B. profile picture
John B.
17:18 04 Jan 26
This place is run by enthusiastic, animal loving people who show true dedication. It's not the easiest place to find but well worth the effort. When you visit, please support their work with generous donations.
Georgie Jarvis - Blue Anchor L. profile picture
Georgie Jarvis - Blue Anchor L.
20:14 11 Nov 25
We went to the spookfest, it was absolutely amazing, the staff were great, the decorations were unbelievable. It exceeded my expectations if im honest, thank you for a fantastic time.
We enjoying the Life (. profile picture
We enjoying the Life (.
00:02 10 Nov 25
There is something very special about this place. Made me feel at home. Nostalgic feeling, reminded me of my childhood, I definitely will take guests who will visit me in the future to this place- everyone who is working here is so lovely, polite and helpful.

Instagram: unleashed_authentic_linda
TikTok: unleashed_linda
MindMatters H. profile picture
MindMatters H.
20:55 31 Oct 25
You saved our bacon , we have the grandkids here on Halloween and new to the area we really wasn’t sure what to do… absolutely 10-10 and super friendly . So much work went into the Halloween props and actors . A super well done to you guys and thank you for saving us . Highly recommend
Susan B. profile picture
Susan B.
20:11 31 Oct 25
Halloween Fright Night 2025. A really good event with the right amount of horror and fun. The Big Top walk through was excellent - a lot of effort must have gone in to setting it all up. The Cafe was open serving soup, jacket potatoes, drinks and highly recommended toffee cake. Well worth a visit.
Gemma H. profile picture
Gemma H.
10:07 27 Jul 24
Such a lovely little hidden gem with such friendly people! As a huge animal lover it's a perfect place to spend a few hours. They have a really nice little cafe and lots of different animals: pigs, frogs, fish, geese, llamas, goats, horses, ferrets, owls and a kookaburra
All the staff are so lovely and it's all definitely worth a visit. You can walk a llama or pony and groom the horses too
Martin Hollingworth (. profile picture
Martin Hollingworth (.
08:39 27 Jul 24
A really nice little animal centre, the heavy horses were the big attraction for us but there were also pigs, goats, chickens and a variety of aviary birds to look at. Many could be fed with food bought from the gift shop. There was a small cafe in one of the old ww2 airfield buildings. The RAF spilsby memorial is just down the road and interesting for a quick visit whilst you are leaving. All the staff are volunteers, and do a great job entertaining the kids with llama and pony walks for a few pounds. Entrance is free, but a donation is appreciated as it's a charity, we were more than happy to contribute.

Finding Us​

We’re close to the rural town of Spilsby in Lincolnshire. Nestled away on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds.

Search for Northcote Heavy Horse Centre in your maps app or our post code: PE23 5PS.

We have free car parking.
We are dog friendly.
We are wheelchair friendly.
(Although it’s a little bumpy in places!)
We ask you to wear sensible footwear as you will be around animals and a farm setting.
Cash and card payments taken.