Buttercups Goat Sanctuary

Buttercups Goat Sanctuary

Located just on the outskirts of Maidstone in Kent, Buttercups Goat Sanctuary provide a home for over 140 rescue goats and support for another 130 goats who are in foster homes.

Buttercups Goat Sanctuary started in 1989 when the founders Bob and Valerie Hitch found themselves agreeing to take in two unwanted goats into care. Shortly after unwanted and neglected goats from all around the country began arriving and this is how the sanctuary was founded.

What’s interesting about Buttercups Goat Sanctuary is that it is the only UK registered charity purely for the welfare of goats.

It’s fantastic to visit. There are plenty of goats wandering around to get up close to and perhaps give a stroke. You can also buy some goat food and feed the goats some treats whilst you are there.

It’s also got a little tea room right in the heart of the sanctuary, so you can stop for a cuppa and enjoy watching the goats explore.

We decided to visit and take Austin to see the goats. You don’t have to pay to visit, but they do like you to make a donation when you leave. They suggest £4 per person which is perfectly reasonable.

On arrival, you are briefed about the goats and told that they wear different colour collars so you know whether they are friendly goats, goats to be a bit cautious around and also whether they are goats that can be fed or if they have a special diet and shouldn’t eat the goat food you can purchase. It’s quite straight-forward.

So you can spend as long as you like there. It’s really well laid out. There’s a special feeding area where you can purchase food and feed the goats. There are lots of grasslands where the goats can roam free and you can pat them. There are benches dotted around under the trees, so you can sit down and relax with a goat or two. It’s lovely!

Austin seemed to enjoy meeting the goats. He was even brave enough to stroke a little one. He wasn’t very keen when two goats locked horns over some goat food and got a bit upset but overall I think he really enjoyed it.

They also do a walking with goats experience, which we didn’t try but may do when Austin is a bit older. We have adopted him a goat – that’s how we found out that you could visit. We thought we could visit his goat a couple of times a year as Buttercups Goat Sanctuary isn’t that far from us. So if you are local to Kent or coming to visit Kent, you should pop along to Buttercups Goat Sanctuary. But even if you aren’t local, perhaps you could adopt one of their goats and support them that way. It’s a very worthy cause.

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