I Ain't Afraid of No Goats
Walkies!
Goat Walking at Middle England Farm.
Review by David Court.
As opposed to other farmyard animals, Goats get a bad press. Their reputation to eat anything in sight does them no favours, and the historical links to witchcraft through their satanic appearance earns them a, frankly, undeserved reputation. So, if you’d like to redress the balance and show some favour to our four-legged caprine chums, there’s an opportunity to do so within Warwickshire.
Tickets for the event were purchased for my birthday by my wife – who’s a huge fan of goats so I suspect the act was not entirely altruistic - and the afternoon of the 8th of April saw us hurtling towards Middle England farm in Henley in Arden.
Dressed appropriately – with the warnings that the experience won’t ruin but may dirty your clothing – we were presented with the farm’s herd of inquisitive Alpacas before being introduced to our furry Capra Hircus companions for the next hour.
Pygmy goats are a delight, but – like their larger cousins – are very food oriented and prone to leaping up if presented with anything slightly resembling snackage. Each couple was given a goat to walk – ours was called Pye (at least I hope it was that; calling a goat “Pie” would be somewhat of an insult, a little bit like naming a Bull 'Madras').
Upon being fussed, Pie proceeded to butt me twice in the knees – he was a goat of few physical needs other than regular handfuls of the feed provided by the owners. On a beautiful sunny afternoon, we walked Pie through the fields of Middle England farm, as good on a lead as any well-trained dog.
David with a goatie!
The enjoyable walk was interspersed with stops in which we got to hold and cuddle delightfully docile goat kids and lambs, an opportunity for photographs and also to meet some of the other goats along for the walk. I imagine the experience would have been less pleasant if the weather had been inclement, but fate – and the sun – shone that day.
Overall, a wonderful way to spend some time in the countryside with a much-misaligned farmyard animal – and a thoroughly novel way to spend an afternoon. You’ll come away from the event with new love for the common farmyard goat – except for Pye, who was a vicious and greedy little git. Only kidding.
Middle England farm run a variety of livestock related activities, of which Goat walking is just one. They can be located at https://www.middleenglandfarm.co.uk
