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tried & tested

When there are so many places to choose from it's hard to know where to visit! In good or bad weather, with very young children or older teens, activity venues or quiet walks, every venue will offer something different with a variety of facilites available. We will add our thoughts on places that we have Tried & Tested so that you are well-informed before you make your decision to leave the house!

A great introduction to a farm for little ones

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There is something magical about playing in the same place as a real life (although deceased!) princess. Hatfield House Park is where fairytales are created. The childhood home of Queen Elizabeth I has something for all ages from babies through to grandparents.

On our visit, we started with the farm which provides a great introduction to livestock – goats, sheep, pigs, cows, donkeys, geese, ducks etc. Animal feed can be bought at the start and the children love to get their fingers licked by a friendly goat! The animals have large enclosures and are clearly happy which is always a concern of mine at commercial mini-farms. The tractor ride was perfectly slow and bumpy for the little ones to get a real thrill from the experience without being thrown around. I would only sit on the right-hand side though so you don’t spend the journey looking at blackberry hedges or with a crick in your neck as you turn to see the animals!

After a quick stop at the ice-cream van where I always have to remind myself that “it’s what summers are made of” as I empty my wallet…and onto the Bloody Hollow.

A brilliant play area with a model Hatfield House for the children to clamber over and under, slide down and shimmy up. Rope bridges and basket swings, zipwire, play train – a huge range of play equipment to encourage wonderful imaginary play.

With exhausted happy children we headed home for a nap!

We took children aged: 7, 3, 2 years and a 10 month old. Perfect ages for the farm and playground. These can be visited separately from Hatfield House and you can also just visit the playground separately from the farm for a very small entrance fee.

 


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