We love our days out at the National Forest Adventure Farm, and today’s trip there was no exception.
Today Little Man and Boo were eager to get there, so along with Nanny, we set off so that we were there when it opened, ready to get exploring…
There are a couple of new things for this half term. For this week only, there are Wild & Deadly shows three times a day, 23rd-31st May.
This show is on for an hour, and I’d say is better suited to children older than Boo and Little Man, at 5 and 2 respectively. I enjoyed it, and many of the slightly older children in the audience looked totally absorbed, but a lot of the information went over my kids’ heads. There were plenty of insects, arachnids and snakes on show, and if you get there before the show begins, you can wander up on stage and take a look at them in their tubs and tanks. Throughout the show, we get to find out about the various bugs and snakes in a fun way, and children and adults alike are invited up to touch and hold them, including a huge python. It’s a great addition to the farm’s normal attractions, and definitely worth a visit.
There is also a new JCB Big Dig Zone. Now this is an area that I struggled to actually get the kids out of! They loved it. As well as the mini JCB ride ons, and JCB’s (coin operated) to dig with, there is a big sandpit dominated by a digger with a slide, surrounded by equipment, spades and trucks to encourage even more digging. My children need little encouragement to dig in any eventuality, so they just adored this area…
We visited the indoor barn and outdoor paddocks…
There is also guinea pig handling, pig racing, sheep shearing, pony feeding and a milking demonstration on throughout the day, and you’re notified of all the times when you arrive.
After our picnic we were then off enjoying the huge outdoor play areas (there is also a brilliant indoor play area for rainy, cold days, but as it was dry, the kids wanted to be outside)…
The outdoor play areas are vast. There are two jumping pillows, a big bouncy castle course with slide, crazy golf, several sandpits, a climbing and balancing area, slides, go karts, football targets and more. We were there today on a busy bank holiday Monday, and as you can probably tell from the photos, it didn’t feel too crowded at all, as there is so much to do.
On previous visits, we’ve also roamed the potting shed area, Boo’s been on the quad barrel ride, and there’s a tractor and trailer ride. There is so much more than we fit in today, despite being there a few hours. This is somewhere that you can easily go and spend the whole day, and you can read all about our previous days out there here, to give you a full flavour of all that they have there.
A few tips and bits of information that I always like to know as a parent:
– Pricing: Adults and children aged over 2 years old pay £9.67 to get in this week, if you book online. You can pay on arrival, but it’s worth booking this way as you’ll receive a 10% discount.
– Food: The restaurant is very reasonably priced, with a good range of hot and cold food. It’s adjoining the indoor soft play area, so the kids can play whilst you wait for your food. If you’d rather take a picnic, there are picnic benches dotted around the farm, including plenty under cover near the main barn area, too, which sometimes at peak times, also serves hot dogs and burgers.
– There are hand-washing stations dotted around the animal areas and toilets are located between the restaurant, indoor play area and big barn. There is a separate baby change room, along with smaller toilets and sinks for little ones.
– I’d recommend wellies for the kids, even on dry days, mainly to keep the sandpit sand out of their shoes!
– There is plenty of car parking, adjacent to the entrance. You can leave your picnic in the car until lunchtime, and just get your hand stamped to be able to nip out to get it.
– The terrain is fine for pushchairs.
There is so much to do there, meaning that the kids never tire of it, and they introduce new attractions every few weeks, too. The staff are always so friendly and welcoming, the animals appear well-cared for and the whole site is always clean and tidy. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a day out there, as there’s something for everyone.
Have you visited before? Is this a day out you can see your family enjoying?
Disclosure: We received entry FOC for the purposes of sharing the latest attractions, but all words and opinions remain my own
We visited today too, but closer to lunch time. I agree the show is better suited for older children, and the new sand pit area is a big hit.
My kids loved that sand pit area!! I enjoyed the show, and funnily enough when they got back, both kids were keen to tell their dad about the huge spiders and snakes, so it definitely made an impression anyway. Glad you all enjoyed it, too.
It looks brilliant. We are only round the corner from there now and it’s on our too -go-to list. Hopefully we will visit in the summer x
Oh yes, you must, it’s a great day out 🙂 x
Wow this place looks brilliant! Not so sure on the insects side of the show (eek) ha but sounds like you had a fun day 🙂
Stevie x
It’s brilliant there! I really enjoyed that show, and though the kids were fidgety, they’ve been going in about it ever since!
We really do need to get ourselves along here over the summer. It’s our idea of a good day out 🙂
It’s brilliant! We will meet you there over the summer 🙂
I just stumbled upon this quite by accident, we loved performing for you guys.
It was brilliant, thanks!