Deadly Adventure at Longleat: Experience the new Deadly Safari with your family

If you have children aged 6 to 12 then you'll be well aware of CBBC and the great programme that is Deadly 60 presented by Steve Backshall.

My daughter Amber and I are very big fans of Deadly 60. The programme sees Steve Backshall and his camera crew travel the world trying to find the 60 'most deadly' animals in the world.

​Amber and Steve on our exclusive Safari Tour

We have watched Steve get into some hairy situations. One of them was while kayaking on a river in South Africa, he was trapped by two hippos, luckily his crew manage to save him.

He has travelled to some amazing places. Australia, Malaysia, India, Brazil and Madagascar are among many of the places Steve has searched for the Deadly 60 animals.

Amber and I were lucky enough to meet Steve Backshall at Longleat Safari & Adventure Park in Wiltshire.

The 9000 acre Longleat Estate is home to over 100 different species of animal which live within the Safari Park and other animals areas. Although famous for it's lions, Longleat is home to tigers, wolves, rhino, giraffe, camel and the hugely popular monkey drive-through to name a few.

BBC Worldwide and Longleat have joined forces to create a spectacular new series of Deadly-themed features at the world-famous attraction.

From Easter 2013 visitors to the park will be invited to go on a Deadly Safari discovering some of Longleat's deadliest creatures. Presenter Steve Backshall has voiced a brand new guide to the safari which incorporates fascinating facts and experiences from his on-screen adventures. Visitors will be given a special Safari Activity Book full of information and tasks to test their spotter skills as they explore the park, learning about vital predator prey relationships that exist in the wild and encountering some of Longleat's most famous deadly residents including lions, tigers and wolves.

We caught up with Steve on our own personal tour, where we got a sneak peek of what's to come on the Deadly Safari.

As we waited nervously at the gates to the Safari park, Steve tells my daughter Amber and me, it's the exciting calm before the storm. It's like pulling up at the gates of Jurassic Park.

As we drive into the enclosure, we became very aware that there was only a metal truck between us and 4 tigers!

It was fascinating hearing Steve talk enthusiastically about the animals, he has such a passion for them.

Steve tells us about the tigers from their size, what they eat, and we listen with interest.

I don't know which Amber is more stunned at, that we are so close to the tigers, or that Steve Backshall is in the front seat telling us about them!

As we drive through to the Lions, we learn about how they first came to Longleat in 1967.

We were lucky enough to see 8 cubs running around playing with each other and pestering their mums! There's no rest, even for a lion mum!

As we continued our adventure, Steve told us all about the pride of 21 lions.

We then drove into the cheetah enclosure, these are Ambers favourite animal and she was so pleased to see them, and so close up.

We then moved on and joined the wolves. It was interesting to hear Steve tell us that some of the most important best known naturalists of his youth, people like Terry Nutkins and Johnny Morris, gained their knowledge from zoos and safari parks.

He thinks zoos and safari parks have a really important role to play for young people because not everyone has the privileges that he's had being able to go to Africa.

Nothing beats seeing an animal up close, seeing it move, you don't get that from a book or TV programme. It's the kind of thing that's going to stay in a young persons mind.

Steve grew up on a small farm and his parents took in animals, it's always been his passion. He was a writer and came up with the idea for a TV programme, he got himself a camera and went to Columbia for five weeks on his own, and the rest is history.

We were very lucky to get this personal tour from Steve, and it's great listening to his enthusiasm.

If you would like to see Steve in person, why not visit Longleat on Sunday 31st March and Monday 1st April 2013.

He will be presenting live animal shows throughout both days* along with Longleat's Hunters of the Sky team! Then try out your tracking skills on the Deadly Safari and become a Deadly Explorer just like Steve.

To reserve your place call our dedicated ticket hotline on 01985 845544. Lines are open 8am-6pm, 7 days a week.

Also coming in 2013 is a Deadly Challenge zone which will see aspiring Deadly Adventurers pitch their skills against those of some of the world's most lethal creatures! Can you climb like a macaque monkey, match the strength of a polar bear and dodge a vipers strike?

Most important of all, how many animals on the Deadly List can you find in a race against the clock? Check points along the way will feature quizzes and challenges from Steve Backshall who will want to see what each Adventurer has learned about the Deadly creatures they're 

With so many amazing animals at Longleat the new 'Deadly Adventure' experiences will give our visitors the chance to experience first hand all the exciting elements of the TV programme right in the wilds of Wiltshire!

Deadly Adventure at Longleat will open from 31st March 2013. To find out more please visit: www.longleat.co.uk/deadly

​Amber, Steve and Imber

Deadly 60 at Longleat Safari Park


By Amber Jennings, age 9

At Longleat, when we first arrived me and my mum went to a stadium type place called the 'Hunters of the Sky'. We met some beautiful owls and big birds of prey. Then there were lots of people taking photos of Steve Backshall from CBBC's Deadly 60, so I took loads of photos too! I was even lucky enough to speak to Steve and he showed me a Bald Eagle call Imber!

Afterwards, me and my mum went to explore Longleat. First stop, we went into the small rainbow lorikeet cage. One just came by and flew onto my shoulder! They drink nectar direct your hand.

Second stop, was the jungle kingdom where we saw lots of animals including a Red Panda, some Otters and Meerkats, one of which tried to escape!

Then we went into the butterfly house and the butterflies were flying everywhere one landed on my mums red bag! I saw one which was much bigger than the rest called a Blue Morpho which was quite impressive!

After that I had a play at the adventure castle where you have to be at a certain height to enter. There was either a monkey, tiger or a rhino, to gauge what size you were. I was a tiger.

Next was the batcave! There were bats flying everywhere, the thing that me and my mum didn't like about the batcave was that they weren't in a cage and they flew past our heads!

Me and my mum went to Longleat house and people believed that there was a ghost that lived there called the grey lady. The house belongs to lord Bath.

The best part of the day was going on a Deadly 60 safari tour with Steve Backshall how cool is that! We saw some cheetahs, lions, cubs and tigers.

The last thing before I went home was the jungle cruise there were loads of sea lions we had a chance to feed them! We saw gorillas, pelicans on their cove and 2 hippos.

I had such a fantastic day.

Visit: www.longleat.co.uk
Longleat, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 7NW
Tel: 01985 844400
Twitter: @longleat.co.uk 
Deadly Safari at Longleat  *subject to availability

Down on the farm: Have a family fun day out with the kids at Kent Life

Need to blow the cobwebs off? Grab your wellies and take the kids for a family fun day out at Kent Life.

Let the kids explore 28 acres of fun from hands-on activities for kids to age-old farming traditions that bring back memories from way back when.

With animals to cuddle, tractors to ride, play areas to go wild in, fascinating historic buildings to explore and cafés to relax in, there's something for everyone. Kent Life is situated in Sandling, Maidstone in Kent.

Along with my daughter Amber, 9, my son Jacob, 2, my mum and dad, Elaine and Shaun, we set off to the farmyard first.

​Amber feeding the sheep

We had bought some food for the animals from reception and Amber couldn't wait to feed them, until we got to the sheep who were fussing around her because they knew she had food. She wasn't sure if she dared to feed them, but her Nonna (my mum Elaine), showed her how to hold her hand flat, so she decided to try it. With her confidence growing she decided she would feed the goats too.

Cuddle corner is in the farmyard, where the children can sit and hold some of the smaller animals. Both Amber and Jacob stroked the cute guinea pig, then the girl who was caring for the animals brought out a chicken. Jacob cried, he didn't like it! Amber thought it was great.

Kent Life houses and breeds traditional farm animals. Their free-range livestock includes sheep, cattle, pigs, horses, donkeys, goats, poultry, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, ducks, geese, and most recently, Alpacas; All housed in historic outhouse barns. Experience a real working farm and farmyard.

With so much to see and do, we let Amber decide where she would like to go next, with the map in her hand, she decided to go and have a look at Sandling Farmhouse.

A historical survey dates Sandling Farmhouse to the 16th century. Today, vintage chic is displayed in the 1950s homestead. An exhibition in the attic details the history of the house and its various owners and a snapshot of life in the 1950s.

It was fascinating reading about the resident farmer of 53 years, George Brundle until his retirement in 1978.

I loved looking round this farmhouse. The exhibition is done really well, I felt like the people who lived there had just popped out to the garden and I had gone back in time and was part of their lives.

It was great to have three generations of my family visit Kent Life, we talked about different aspects of how we used to live.

We couldn't walk past the big outdoor play area without having a climb. Amber and Jacob enjoyed swinging together.

We walked up the slight hill towards the top and half way up there is Dotty's Tea Room. A lovely little café where you can have a well earned cup of tea and a slice of cake.

At the top you will find the Grade II listed Lenham Cottages. They originally started out as Old & Water Street Cottages and they lay virtually in the path of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link until they were re-located to the Kent Life site. It took fourteen months to demolish and re-build these lovely cottages which were opened to the public in 2001.

The Cottage displays the typical home of a wartime house wife. Furniture and fittings were in short supply and rationed, so the average wartime house was decorated in a 1930's style. This WWII home shows sticky tape on the windows to reduce shatter, a basic kitchen equipped with a sink, cooker, mangle and bath tub showing the water-ration line, greenhouse and front rooms, and bedrooms displaying artefacts from an era past. Outside you will also find an Anderson Shelter.

Great for telling your children how lucky they are now with all the gadgets they have to play with!

Next to the cottages is a Chapel. The Chapel was originally built in 1897 in Cuxton, Kent and began its life as a mission hall, later becoming a congregational chapel. Like many other buildings at Kent Life the chapel was re-homed to the place it stands at now. During demolition, builders found several hidden objects under the doorway, including a child's boot! Spooky!

Speaking of spooky, Kent Life is said to be one of the most haunted museum's in the County, dating back to 1555.

Our next stop was Petts Farmhouse. Originally located just four miles away, just south of Burham Village. It was last occupied in 1981 and after two years of careful repair and reconstruction to the now derelict building, Petts Farmhouse was restored to its Victorian splendour at Kent Life in September 1997.

As we read the sign outside it told the story of how a clay pipe, a bone handled knife, a shoe and a wooden doll were found in the walls and floors of the farmhouse during dismantling. The doll appeared suddenly on the floor. Limbless, with shorn hair and a scarf circling her neck, her mutilated body is believed to have been hidden in the plaster near the front door. The shoe is over 150 years old and was found hidden under the floorboards. A superstition dating back to Victorian times says that hiding a shoe protects the house from evil spirits. To maintain protection, the shoe has been replaced, along with a modern time capsule.

Trying not to act scared we entered the house. I did look over my shoulder on one occasion but it was my dad trying (and succeeding) to make me jump. Amber found it hilarious!

The house layout is known as a double fronted lobby entrance and consists of many rooms including an authentic Dairy Maids Scullery, front room and bedrooms filled with memories from bygone years and a display of tradition Victorian attire.

There are many other parts to Kent Life that you can explore from the Wildlife Discovery Trail and Gardens to the Oast House and Village Hall.

We had a lovely family day out at Kent Life and can't wait to go back again.

Expect to spend a good 4-5 hours there.

Current off peak prices (valid until 8th March 2013): Adults: £5, Concession: £4, Children (3-15 years): £3, Under 3's: FREE. Membership passes are available.

See www.kentlife.org.uk for more details.