Cotebrook Shire Horse Centre

Set in 50 acres in the heart of the beautiful Cheshire countryside, Cotebrook Shire Horse Centre and Countryside Park offers a delightful natural range to help toward the perfect family day out: just add kids and picnic!

The Shire Horse is the largest breed of horse in the world and you are welcome to meet Cotebrook's Stallions, Mares and Foals and learn about this fabulous Old English Breed from the friendly and informative staff. They have up to 30 horses at any time for you to meet so especially given their size there are plenty to go around, in fact it was also recently home to the largest Shire Horse Show in the world!

As well as their Shire horses they have a fantastic selection of British animals and birdlife both wild and domesticated including many rare breeds which are great to learn about. See the miniature Shetland Pony, Large Black Pigs, Aberdeen Angus Cattle, Birds of prey, Red Deer, Red Foxes and Red Squirrels, Polecats and Otters!

You will also take a stroll beside their 2 wildlife areas at Kingswater and Blind Mares Bog. These areas have been given back to nature and left to regenerate themselves which they are doing with gusto! The water here is spring fed and this wetland area is specially designed to encourage invertebrates to inhabit and the willows have naturally grown here, providing necessary shading for summer. Toads, Frogs, Great Crested Newts, a Water Voles nest and Grass Snakes have been spotted here and Perch, Rudd and Roach are fish species in the lakes and ponds.

All in all it's a truly peaceful and charming trip that'll have you feeling satisfyingly back to nature and simultaneously wanting to own an otter! Well, they are very cute!