So…what does one do on a dark, grey, miserable wet day in Leeds when the other half has promised his grandson a day out??? Hit the Tropics!!
Tropical World to be exact.
Hurricane Bertha may have caused disruption in the Caribbean and she may be creating a bit of havoc up and down the UK but Roundhay’s Tropical World was our little refuge for the afternoon. OK, so lots of others had the same idea too but for a couple of hours we swapped Bertha’s storms for Yorkshire’s rainforest.
Situated in Roundhay, Leeds, Tropical world is a giant greenhouse hidden in a walled garden and houses everything from spiders to meerkats. For a very tiny entrance fee of £3.50 (free for under 5;s), visitors can wander and weave in tropical climates, between leafy palms and cascading waterfalls, while multi coloured butterflies and birds float overhead.
Our little guest, Jensen had been a few times before so he led the way…
Luckily, thissssssssssss little fellow was behind glasssssssssssss…
My favourites (and probably everyone else’s)…Sergei, Oleg, Aleksander and crew!!
They even had a Nocturnal section…hence the infrared images.
Sorry if all the red is sending you a bit batty…
And back to daylight and scorching temperatures…
And back to reality and rain…
But there’s always puddle jumping to amuse ourselves…
And no trip is complete without ice cream and getting messy…
So just for a few hours, the Bertha battering didn’t matter, we were in the jungle in deepest, darkest Leeds surrounded by spiders, snakes and butterflies and the glory, heat and humidity of Summer had returned.
For a fun educational day out with the kids or if you just want to escape the English Summer for an afternoon, Tropical World is a must.
I’m off to batten down the hatches…its a bit blustery out there!!
Till next time…L xx