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If you’re looking for a family-friendly day out then take a look at what Pensthorpe has to offer during the Easter holidays. From a Giant Egg Hunt to crafts and play areas, there’s something for everyone.
2024 Easter prices
Adults – £15.95
Seniors – £14.95
Children (Over 3’s) -£14.95
Children (Under 3’s) – FREE
Carers – FREE with full paying admission
Member – FREE
Blue light/Armed forces Discount – 10% off
2024 Easter opening times
Open 10:00 am-5:00 pm 7 days a week
Courtyard Café opens from 9am
Getting to Pensthorpe
Address
Pensthorpe Natural Park
Pensthorpe,
Fakenham,
Norfolk
NR21 0LN
Travel information
Postcode for satnav: NR21 0LN
Closest EV charging: Tesco Oak St, Fakenham NR21 9DX 2.4miles (7KW)
Nearest railway station: Kings Lynn
Nearest bus stop: At the entrance (X29 First bus)
Contact information
Website: https://www.pensthorpe.com
Email: info@pensthorpe.com
Phone: 01328 851465
What is there to do at Pensthorpe?
Pensthorpe at Easter 2024: Giant Egg Hunt
2024 brings a new Easter adventure at Pensthorpe; The Giant Egg Hunt. Around the nature reserve, you’ll find different coloured eggs, as well as some cool facts about the birds that they came from. Collect the letters from each egg as you go around, and unscramble the word at the end to get your prize!
Up until this year, we hadn’t done a trail at Pensthorpe before so I didn’t know what to expect. From the minute we arrived, it was all very well organised and easy to follow. We were given maps when we arrived, detailing where the eggs were. The map had the letter puzzle on the back, as well as some other activities to do as we went. You don’t have to go out of your way to do this trail, which we thought was great. It can be done as you walk around the nature reserve. We collected our prize from the shop at the end of the day, which was a nice touch to the Easter trail.
Easter activities
As well as The Giant Egg Hunt, Pensthorpe has some other Easter-themed treats to enjoy. In the marquee in WildRootz, you’ll find Easter-themed arts and crafts, while pond dipping takes place a few times a day.
We made sure we made time for both during this visit, as they were both things we hadn’t done before. Erin enjoyed making flower bombs for our garden during a craft session and pond dipping was a huge hit. We spent quite a while scooping up water in our tray, looking for new life. Staff were on hand to help us figure out what we’d found, and there were sheets available too! Staff were full of fascinating facts and gave us plenty of opportunities to find more creatures.
You can find the times of each activity at Penthorpe’s entrance and also on the back of the Easter trail map. It’s great to have some egg-citing activities on top of the Easter trail for children to enjoy and look forward to.
Explore the nature reserve
One of the things we enjoyed most about our visit this time at Pensthorpe was seeing what wildlife we could find. We found parts of Pensthorpe we hadn’t visited before, including the Wetland Hide and the Lake Hide. Pensthorpe nature reserve has so many different ways for you to see the wildlife that calls it home, without disturbing them! The hides are great ways to view things from afar. It’s a good idea to take binoculars with you if you want to see further out, but these can also be hired.
Visiting the flamingos is a must for us, as we haven’t seen them in many other places. You can attend flamingo talks throughout the day if you’re interesting in learning more about them!
Children (and adults) might be interested in feeding the ducks. You can buy bags of food in Hootz House and at the shop for £1.50 each. They come in 2 varieties, land and water food, and come in different coloured bags so you know which one is which. The ducks, geese and swans are quite used to people at Pensthorpe and many will happily eat from your hands.
WildRootz
One of our favourite areas at Pensthorpe is WildRootz, the outdoor adventure playground. This area is right next to Hootz House and not far from Pensthorpe’s entrance.
There’s so much to do at WildRootz, from zip wires to slides to musical instruments. It is truly a wonderful outdoor play area and Erin likes to spend as long as she can there. Although you can play in any weather, we were very lucky that we had a dry and warm afternoon during our visit. There are benches and picnic tables dotted around, giving you the perfect place to have a break or lunch in-between playing. You’ll also find toilets and changing tables in WildRootz!
Hootz House
With your entrance fee, you also get to go for an adventure in Hootz House. This is Pensthorpe’s indoor play area, and fantastic for all ages. You do need to book a time slot for Hootz House, and if you book tickets online, you can also do this then.
Hootz House is an indoor adventure play area, with nature used as the inspiration. The wooden play area has a large area for children over 3 and a smaller section for the younger children. You’ll be able to climb, run and slide around this fantastic play area, discovering all of the fun things to do.
Pensthorpe Explorer Tours
Back for Easter is the Pensthorpe Explorer. For an additional fee (£5 for adults and £4 for children), you can go on a 45 minute, off-road and under cover adventure. The all terrain vehicle takes you around the reserve, covering the history of the estate, the farming practices and the vital conservation projects being worked on. You’ll get to see parts of the 700-acre reserve you might not have before, and hear all about what’s been going on from someone who knows it well! It’s a great way for the kids to sit down for a bit too if they’re getting tired.
The Pensthorpe Explorer operates everyday of the Easter holidays, weekends from Easter to the end of the Summer, and everyday of the school holidays in that period, at 2pm & 3pm
Courtyard Cafe
If you’re feeling a bit peckish, then be sure to stop by the Courtyard Café. Open from 9am, you can grab breakfast before Pensthorpe opens or there for lunch you can choose from sandwiches, toasties, burgers, hot and cold beverages and even afternoon teas. There’s really something for everyone on this menu!
Rainy day guarantee
If your visit is disrupted by more than an hour of continuous rain, you can get a free ticket which is valid for 4 weeks, so you can visit again!
Easter at Pensthorpe is suitable for the whole family and I’m sure you’ll have a cracking time. Plan to spend the whole day at Pensthorpe though, as there’s so much to do and see! We had such a magical day and we’re already looking forward to going back at a different time of year.
