Cholderton Rare Breeds Farm is a fantastic fun-filled family day out and really affordable too! So much to see and do; there are farm animals to feed, including rare breeds such as Eriskay ponies, adventure playgrounds, a soft play barn, and animal encounters.
There are so many animals to meet, in the animal encounters enclosure you have a chance to pet them and hold them too! Cholderton’s rare breeds are a beautiful selection, including at risk Greyface Dartmoor sheep, priority Eriskay ponies, priority middle white pigs, and at risk Bagot goats. The farm carefully breeds these animals throughout the year to try to keep them from becoming endangered, or worse still extinct. They work with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust to enable them to do this.
There are brilliant activities on throughout the day to give everyone a chance to meet the animals. George really enjoyed the pig race! The pigs had funny names like Boaris Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Kim KardashiHam etc. You could pick who you think might win.
Another activity was guinea pig fishing. The children are given a wooden stick with a vegetable tired to a rope at the end. They dangle their rods over the guinea pig pen and see how many they can catch! The guinea pigs came running out of the pen hungrily gobbling up all the veg, it was a joy to see!
You can buy different sized bags/buckets of animal feed at the entrance to the farm park. All the animals looked so well looked after and the park is so clean. In the animal encounters ring there are guinea pigs and rabbits to pet too.
There are a few play areas dotted around and three big enclosed trampolines. The gardens around the park are beautiful. George really enjoyed playing hide and seeks in the secret garden area.
If you walk through the pergola archway you come to a wood area with a secret adventure play area and different climbing frames. There is a big zip wire for older children and different sized slides. This was a lovely shady spot for this hot weather!
There is also a big play barn with a soft play frame. This frame has a nice sized wavy slide and a tunnel slide. There are rope bridges, stepping-stones, scramble nets, and obstacle course type equipment.
There is also a smaller frame for younger toddlers. There are table and chairs dotted around the side of the frame so you can sit and watch your child. The barn is really light and airy, with big barn doors open letting in the breeze. Perfect for this summer weather!
In the entrance way there is a large café space with a good selection of hot and cold meals and snacks. The farms facilities are really clean and the surroundings are beautiful. The gardens make a perfect place to have a picnic, and there are picnic benches dotted around. There was also a gift shop full with toys, home ware and local artisan products. Next door, there is the Stonehenge Hostel offering overnight accommodation on the farm.
Also on the farm is Bluestone Winery, with 10 acres of vineyard planted with chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier grapevines. You can have a taster of the wine for free or book for a vineyard walk and tasting session. It looks very nice! The farm also hosts weddings and is a licenced wedding venue.
Love a children’s farm? You might like to check out our review of Roves Farm too.
