Yorkshire Tropics

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.

IMG_4564

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.

IMG_4404

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.

IMG_4539

Our little guest, Jensen had been a few times before so he led the way…

IMG_4441

IMG_4506
IMG_4398

IMG_4401

IMG_4403

IMG_4405

IMG_4408

IMG_4409

IMG_4410

IMG_4411

IMG_4413

IMG_4414

IMG_4426

IMG_4427

Luckily, thissssssssssss little fellow was behind glasssssssssssss…

IMG_4428

IMG_4433

IMG_4434

IMG_4444

IMG_4455

IMG_4456

IMG_4468

IMG_4471

IMG_4479

My favourites (and probably everyone else’s)…Sergei, Oleg, Aleksander and crew!!

IMG_4460

IMG_4477
Compare ze meerkat…

IMG_4482

They even had a Nocturnal section…hence the infrared images.

IMG_4483

Sorry if all the red is sending you a bit batty…

IMG_4494

IMG_4495

IMG_4496

And back to daylight and scorching temperatures…

IMG_4540

IMG_4544

IMG_4548

IMG_4556

IMG_4562

IMG_4517

IMG_4525

IMG_4528

IMG_4532

IMG_4536

And back to reality and rain…

IMG_4567

IMG_4573

But there’s always puddle jumping to amuse ourselves…

IMG_4577

IMG_4581

And no trip is complete without ice cream and getting messy…

IMG_4571

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

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.