Are you looking for places to take an animal-loving date in Leeds? Leeds may be a cosmopolitan city, but it is home to many animal lovers and accordingly, if you’re looking for ideas for animal-loving dates, you won’t be disappointed. Whether you love pets, British wildlife or your tastes run a little more exotic, or if you’re just looking to impress an animal lover on a date, here’s some great ideas for places to take an animal-loving date in Leeds.
Tropical World at Roundhay Park in Leeds is one of the region’s most fun places to take a new date. It’s filled with exotic animals laid out in various habitat zones and you’ll be unable to resist saying hello to the meerkats (don’t worry, these don’t sell insurance!). Beware the crocodiles but there’s plenty of topics for conversation for animal lovers. This is one of the best places to take an animal-loving date in Leeds.
A major factor of the fun in dates for animal lovers is getting up close and personal with all sorts for furry, feathery and scaly things. The animals at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm may not be exotic, but it’s not every day that you can feed a lamb or a baby goat. Just a 10-minute drive from Leeds city centre, there’s plenty of aww moments to be had.
Lotherton Hall just south of Leeds fits a wide range of interests and is suitable for dates who love animals, culture, history and even fashion. The big attraction for animal lovers used to just be the bird garden but after an extension, it became Lotherton Wildlife World and now along with flamingos and penguins, there are forest mammals.
If you read a dating profile that expresses an interest in horses, you’ll surely bag a date if you suggest a visit to Hope Pastures. This sanctuary rescues, rehabilitates and re-homes horses, ponies and donkeys and is open for visitors daily. It’s a fun way to spend a few hours on a weekend afternoon finishing up with refreshments in the on-site café.
If you’re a proud dog owner, you will want to find a date who loves dogs too. A dog can make or break a relationship so it’s important you're both on the same page where pooches are concerned. Make a date for your potential new partner to meet your faithful canine companion (and they can bring theirs too!) in Golden Acre Park. There are 135 acres of parkland to wander around where you can all get to know each other better.
Did you know there are many owls in Leeds city centre? Actually, there are 25 and they can all be sought out on the Owl Trail. Tell your date to put on their walking shoes and together, walk the map, seeking out the owls, learning their history and what they have seen in their lifetime. Don’t be too distracted gazing into your date’s eyes as you’ll need to stay sharp to spot some of the owls.
Who can resist patting a donkey? Many of these gentle creatures end up in sanctuaries after a tough working life on Britain’s beaches. Take your animal loving date along to Leeds Donkey Sanctuary to see how these lovely animals are now kept in comfort and safety. Why not book a grooming session – they’re held regularly throughout the year, as are Experience Days for Grown Ups if you want to enjoy your animal-themed date without lots of schoolchildren around.
Leeds may be a large city, but it is in a heartland of farming country. At Temple Newsam, just outside of Leeds, the estate’s Home Farm presents a great opportunity for animal lovers to see agriculture in action. Home Farm is a working farm and one of Europe’s largest rare breed centres. This is a place where you can see and learn about some of the UK’s oldest breeds of native farm animals including rare breeds of pig, sheep, cattle, goats and poultry. Make a day of it with a visit to the Tudor-Jacobean house that stands in grounds landscaped by Capability Brown.
When you find a potential partner on a mature dating site, you want date ideas that will engage and impress - after all, at a certain age, we’ve done lots, seen lots and experienced lots. If you find a date who loves the outdoors and likes to see wildlife, they’re bound to be excited by a trip to Adel Dam Nature Reserve. Bird lovers especially are enthralled as there’s always the chance to spot a kingfisher.
Middleton Park Equestrian Centre is just south of Leeds and offers riding lessons and riding sessions in and around the grounds of Middleton Park, a true rural retreat. You and your date can learn to ride together, go on a countryside hack or even try your hand at carriage driving. It is a centre of Riding for the Disabled, but able-bodied riders of all levels of experience are made equally welcome.
When you think of birdwatching you usually associate countryside and woods and wetland. You might not immediately think of a historic country house but the grounds at Harewood have been attracting a wide variety of birds since the house was built in the mid-18th century. Today it is also home to a bird garden bird garden which is home to Humboldt penguins, flamingos, macaws, cockatoos and other exotic birds as well as native British birds such as owls and teal.
A dog walking date might be simple, but it is cute and fun. When the place you take your furry companion is as beautiful as Bramley Fall Woods, there’ll be no complaints. The 80 acres of woodland has a large network of paths that take you through the woods or alongside the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. The bluebells in spring are definitely not to be missed.