We check our emails every day. Please send booking or pass enquiries to the following email address. bookings@downatthefarm.co.uk.

We do not have an office as such so we check emails after work as usually we are on the farm!

You can also contact us on Facebook messenger but please note we get a large volume of messages on here and on busy days we might not be able to check messages straight away if we are working in the park.

Booking and paying online is cheaper than paying at the gate and it also means you can enter the park more easily as we will have you on our list. It also helps us to maintain manageable numbers at peak times and provide a better service to our visitors. We cannot guarantee entry without a booking,  If you want to come today, its easy to check availability and pay online. Please go to “Online saver Tickets” above and choose your date.

If you are coming after 2pm you don’t need to book, please be aware of our closing times.

Yes please book all your visits online so that we can see your photos on screen when you arrive. We also need to maintain manageable numbers and provide a better service to our visitors and we can do that if people book in advance. We cannot guarantee entry without a booking, however if you are arriving after 2pm you can just turn up when there are less queues at the kiosk.

Pets are not permitted on site at Down at the Farm. Some assistance dogs can be permitted if they meet the criteria outlined below. Due to our Zoo licencing requirements we have a duty of care to adhere to strict biosecurity measures put in place to keep our animals and visitors safe.

The information below outlines which assistance dogs we can admit, including some important information about what to do prior to your visit. Please ensure you have reviewed the information below to ensure you are fully aware of your responsibilities when visiting. (We regret we are unable to allow assistance dogs in training).

Which Dogs are permitted?

Your dog must be registered and trained by one of the 8 accredited members of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF). These are all member organisations associated with Assistance Dogs UK (ADUK). All ADUK dogs adhere to the highest health, behaviour/training and welfare standards as set out by Assistance Dogs International and the International Guide Dogs Federation. It is essential that we are able to guarantee specific standards to fulfil our biosecurity regulations, which is part of our Zoo Licencing requirements, and why we do not permit access to animals not registered with one of the below organisations. 

•      Canine Partners - Registered Charity No: 803680 
•  Dog A.I.D - Registered Charity No: 1098619
• Dogs for Good – Registered Charity No: 1092960
• Guide Dogs – Registered Charity No: 209617
• Hearing Dogs for Deaf People – Registered Charity No: 293358
• Medical Detection Dogs – Registered Charity No in England and Wales: 1124533
• Support Dogs – Registered Charity No: 1088281
• The Seeing Dogs Alliance – Registered Charity No. 1156790. 

Before you book:

• Please inform us by email at bookings@downatthefarm.co.uk that you are bringing an assistance dog to the farm from one of the above organisations.
• Things to include in your email: The name, date and time you will be booking under, insurance documentation, the breed of dog, your confirmation that it is fully trained and attach any paperwork relating to its training from one of the organisations above, confirmation of fully up to date vaccinations which we will need to see proof of on the day.

On the Day:

• Please be aware we cannot admit assistance dogs in training.
• Once you have booked and informed us of your visit you will be asked to meet with the Manager on arrival for an on-site briefing, to confirm acceptance of our full terms and conditions and discuss any special considerations for the day.
• Please bring proof of vaccination status on the day.
• Your dog must be fit and healthy when visiting the Farm and not shown any signs of ill health – including diarrhoea and vomiting – in the last 24 hours. They must have been resident in the UK for the last 6 months and have received all annual vaccinations.
• Your dog must remain calm and quiet at all times and stay at least 2 metres away from any animal enclosure boundaries.
• Our animals and dogs can react to each other – so we ask that you stay away from certain larger animals, particularly deer and reindeer.
• Your assistance dog will not be permitted in any animal barns or activity barns.
• You must clean up after your dog and never leave dogs unattended or off the lead.

 

Access to the outdoor farm, play parks & animal barn.

• Every paying child over 2 yrs old receives a barrel ride & tractor ride voucher.
• Every paying adult receives a tractor ride voucher.
• Under twos don’t need to pay admission (but wont receive a barrel ride ticket). 

Remember we are all outdoors so please dress for the weather and temperature!

Tickets are non refundable however we are happy to change the date for you if you email us at bookings@downatthefarm.co.uk at least the day before the date you originally booked. We can also postpone your tickets if you’re unsure of  the next date you want to come, then just let us know and we can book you back in.

Please note: we cant reschedule tickets if you contact us on the day or if you haven’t attended without letting us know.

That’s fine just get here when you can – we will be able to find you on our list if you have booked online.

We are open every weekend and school holiday between Spring to the end of October. Some school holidays can differ so check our opening times before you visit.

Please check Facebook as we always publicise extra opening days on there.

You can stay all day from your booked time until we close at 5pm! If you need to come a bit earlier or later than your booked slot that’s ok too.

It is essential that customers practise good hand hygiene when visiting the farm –  children & adults. Outdoor spaces and animals have bacteria which you may not encounter in day to day life and therefore we ask you to wash your hands with soap and water (not gel) after touching animals and before eating.

We have a very strict disinfection routine here at the farm to keep good hygiene levels and handwashing is an important part of our routine.

We have designed the layout of the farm in a way which minimises the risk to our visitors but please take responsibility for your own children and stop them from eating whilst touching animals and be aware of the potential risks such as not using dummies once dropped on the ground etc.

We sell small bags of animal feed to visitors to feed our sheep, goats and pigs.We restrict the numbers of bags so as not to over feed them so its not always available.

What we would say is please don’t hand feed our animals. Aside from messing up your hands, they have teeth that can inadvertently nip you and your child if they are excited for the food, even cute piglets! Please only shake food onto the floor or into their feed bucket. And always wash your hands afterwards.

Please don’t leave small children unattended around our animals.

Some animals can’t be fed because their diet isn’t compatible with the feed or they just don’t like it. Our ponies and donkeys are on strict diet so any treats can be detrimental to their health so please don’t feed them.

Our answer to this is yes absolutely! All we ask you to do is be very careful with your hand hygiene and maybe not pet the animals. From a physical point of view please just take extra care around vehicles or animals if they are being moved around. During the lambing season it may be wise to stay away from the lambing sheds although the risk to you is extremely low.

Yes, please come to the cafe if you require first aid.Our staff have a radio system so can always communicate with us if they need to help a visitor.

Season tickets are available to buy on our website every year between mid March and July. – once paid you will be asked to upload your photos  Your photos will be displayed on our screen when you book your visits.

Due to the wonders of technology we don’t need to make season ticket cards anymore which is also great for the environment!

Sometimes we run short promotions at specific times of the year however we currently don’t have any scheduled.

Unlimited entry to the farm for the time we are open for the photographed persons on the system.  Every child receives a barrel/tractor ride, every adult receives a tractor ride as part of the ticket.

Pet Dogs are not permitted on site at Down at the Farm. Some assistance dogs can be permitted if they meet the criteria outlined below. Due to our Zoo licencing requirements we have a duty of care to adhere to strict biosecurity measures put in place to keep our animals and visitors safe.

The information below outlines which assistance dogs we can admit, including some important information about what to do prior to your visit. Please ensure you have reviewed the information below to ensure you are fully aware of your responsibilities when visiting. (We regret we are unable to allow assistance dogs in training).

Which Dogs are permitted?

Your dog must be registered and trained by one of the 8 accredited members of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF). These are all member organisations associated with Assistance Dogs UK (ADUK). All ADUK dogs adhere to the highest health, behaviour/training and welfare standards as set out by Assistance Dogs International and the International Guide Dogs Federation. It is essential that we are able to guarantee specific standards to fulfil our biosecurity regulations, which is part of our Zoo Licencing requirements, and why we do not permit access to animals not registered with one of the below organisations. 

•      Canine Partners - Registered Charity No: 803680 
•  Dog A.I.D - Registered Charity No: 1098619
• Dogs for Good – Registered Charity No: 1092960
• Guide Dogs – Registered Charity No: 209617
• Hearing Dogs for Deaf People – Registered Charity No: 293358
• Medical Detection Dogs – Registered Charity No in England and Wales: 1124533
• Support Dogs – Registered Charity No: 1088281
• The Seeing Dogs Alliance – Registered Charity No. 1156790. 

Before you book:

• Please inform us by email at bookings@downatthefarm.co.uk that you are bringing an assistance dog to the farm from one of the above organisations.
• Things to include in your email: The name, date and time you will be booking under, insurance documentation, the breed of dog, your confirmation that it is fully trained and attach any paperwork relating to its training from one of the organisations above, confirmation of fully up to date vaccinations which we will need to see proof of on the day.

On the Day:

• Please be aware we cannot admit assistance dogs in training.
• Once you have booked and informed us of your visit you will be asked to meet with the Manager on arrival for an on-site briefing, to confirm acceptance of our full terms and conditions and discuss any special considerations for the day.
• Please bring proof of vaccination status on the day.
• Your dog must be fit and healthy when visiting the Farm and not shown any signs of ill health – including diarrhoea and vomiting – in the last 24 hours. They must have been resident in the UK for the last 6 months and have received all annual vaccinations.
• Your dog must remain calm and quiet at all times and stay at least 2 metres away from any animal enclosure boundaries.
• Our animals and dogs can react to each other – so we ask that you stay away from certain larger animals, particularly deer and reindeer.
• Your assistance dog will not be permitted in any animal barns or activity barns.
• You must clean up after your dog and never leave dogs unattended or off the lead.

The park is designed for you to see all the animals on your visit.  Please see our map which shows which animals are where.

The cows can be seen on the tractor ride.

Our farmyard which used to house farm animals is now empty and we have moved everything over to the outdoor park side so you don’t miss anything.

Absolutely! We have small animal sessions and specified times in our barn. Times of the sessions will always be displayed at the kiosk.

We also offer seasonal activities such as bottle feeding – please check the website at specific times of the year for more info.

Usually we cant accommodate extra animals unless we have space for them. Please email us at bookings@downatthefarm.co.uk if you do have a query.

For many years we operated part of the farm over in the old Farmyard. Over lockdown we had a chance to review how we operated and we decided that our animals were much happier living outside rather than living in indoor pens for visitors to view. We have therefore moved all animals to the outdoor park where they have access to lots of outdoor space.  As a result, our animals are much happier and healthier! We have a small animals barn for visitors who want to see our rabbits and guinea pigs 

We are an outdoor park with outdoor play areas. We recognise that sometimes visitors need shelter in a shower so we do have a few shelters and a small animals barn as part of the park.  As we are a seasonal attraction we are only open in the warmer months of the year (Spring to October) and therefore all the play is outdoor. We do have shelters and also a cafe too.

Yes we do – we have indoor tables for customers buying food (sorry no picnics in the cafe) but we serve hot/cold drinks, ice creams, children’s picnic lunches, sandwiches, soup, burgers, toasties, sandwiches to order, hot dogs, snacks, bacon sandwiches, jacket potatoes. (some things may change seasonally or if we have had a busy day but this is a general guide). Allergies catered for.

You are welcome to bring a picnic too and sit outside in our picnic areas.

1 carer can receive discounted entry price of £7.95 when attending with a full paying child or adult. Pre registering is essential – before booking please email  bookings@downatthefarm.co.uk with photo id of the person you are looking after and details of their PIP/DLA letter. You can also bring everything along on the day however please bring both sets of information with you. Sorry we dont accept max cards as proof of carer.

We are unable to keep last seasons carers information due to GDPR compliance. Once you have registered with the info above we wont need to ask you each time you come for the rest of the season.

This depends on your own personal circumstances. We have a disabled toilet with ramp, the tractor ride has a ramp (booked in advance of your visit) and most areas are flat however the surface is gravel. Please see our access statement for more detail.

We are currently recruiting for the 2024 season. We have various roles on offer from cafe, admissions staff and outdoor staff. If you are an enthusiastic, friendly person who is wants to  provide a great level of service to our customers then please check if we have any vacancies on our jobs page or email us at bookings@downatthefarm.co.uk.

We do, but this is specific to students on animal courses at either Houghall or Kirkley Hall. We regret we cant offer general work experience for school students.