When I was younger I remember a day at the farm being so exciting, and these days are no exception. In fact, a day at the farm means so much more than just animals now, with many farms featuring lots of animal interaction, fun play areas and special events throughout the year.During the February half term we decided to visit Finkley Down Farm in Andover, and we had high expectations after previously visiting at Christmas and having the most magical time. Of course this visit didn’t disappoint. https://www.finkleydownfarm.co.uk/When we came in December it was for the special Christmas event which was extremely well organised. The little Dude got given a Christmas passport that was stamped at each activity, and he was able to visit Santa, interact with animals, meet reindeer, enjoy Christmas crafts and the decorating of a ginger bread man, receive a Christmas gift which he was able to choose himself and much more. It was such a lovely day out that we knew we would return when the warmer weather came so we could experience the full potential of the farm, including the amazing outside play area for kids!We arrived and parked in the overflow car park which was just a short walk from the farm entrance, and had plenty of space which meant we were able to park with ease.

I absolutely love the look of this farm, the buildings aren’t too modern and are also quite low giving a quaint little village feel to it, and everywhere is easily accessible. We had a pushchair with us and found it very easy to work our way around the farm. We were presented with a map and a timetable with feeding times and other events going on throughout the day, and there was also the option to purchase food for some of the animals from the little shop, which I thoroughly recommend as the children thought this was great fun!Before we even got into the main part of the farm we of course had to make a short stop at the play area as we’d been unable to use the equipment during our last visit, due to the weather. Well 10mins turned into about an hour but there was so much fun to be had. There’s a lovely park with a roundabout, swings, climbing frames, a zip wire etc… a really high tube slide, large trampolines with full enclosures, play houses, ride on equipment and much more! We didn’t even get around to everything. We had a lovely time walking around and seeing all of the animals, and were also lucky enough to see baby lambs and calves that had only recently been born. The little Dude was also very pleased to be able to help groom a horse, hold a bunny, and feed the goats which was very exciting.We were able to walk around at our own pace and didn’t feel rushed at all as there was so much to do, and lots of little pathways leading to other places to explore. We came across a pretend cow that we were able to ‘milk’, an owl house where we got to watch a gorgeous owl being fed and learn some fun facts, and a shed with baby lambs that we were able to get up close to, among many other things to see and do.https://m.facebook.com/karstyb/?locale2=en_GB

The farm visit was then finished off nicely with time spent in the amazing soft play area. This place is huge, with an area specifically for babies and little ones, an area called ‘foul play’ where kids are able to have fun shooting balls around, and then an area full of climbing frames, slides, and the terrifying death slide (which no, I did not brave, even though a 2 year old we were with threw herself down it fearlessly, several times!) There were plenty of benches to offload our muddy boots and bags, and there’s a cafe with plenty of food and hot & cold drinks on offer. This was the perfect place to unwind, and also great to use as a base in the event of bad weather, as well as to come to for various events throughout the day. On this particular day we got to see ‘Silly Scott’ a very funny children’s magician who put on a few different shows during the day. The kids (and adults) absolutely loved him and were thoroughly engaged throughout, so this was really great as an added extra. http://m.sillyscott.co.uk/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sillyscott.co.uk%2F&utm_referrer=#2897The whole day was an absolute success. We spent over 5 hours there but easily could have stayed longer. I definitely recommend Finkley Down Farm for a fantastic fun filled family day out!