I’d seen Fairytale Farm often recommended on various facebook groups and at the same time other people saying they had heard it was a bit strange. Curious, I wanted to try it out myself.
I first visited on a rather blustery and cold day in April with my kids then aged 4.5 and 6.5 years old. It was a busy Good Friday at Easter but there was a parking attendant so we were quickly parked and into Fairytale Farm without a hitch.
Fairytale Farm is arranged in zones, so I’ll take you through our journey of the areas we stopped at. Once upon a time …
Jack’s Yard at Fairytale Farm
After passing through the café area, my kids were excited to see a wishing well, just right for a fairytale start. We popped into ‘Mouse Town’. Like nothing I’ve seen before, we entered a dark room and pressed a button. Suddenly, a miniature town lit up behind glass where little mice live. Just outside there was also a sandpit and toys, ideal for younger visitors.
Enchanted Walk at Fairytale Farm
To enter the main part of Fairytale farm, you walk through a passageway with two wooden houses on either side. Peer through the window and there are life size scenes from fairytales. My youngest was a little scared of the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood with his red glowing eyes, resting in a bed as Granny but the three bears enjoying their porridge were a lot less scary!
Next up is the mermaid garden with a huge mermaid and sea creatures, you press the button to hear the singing. There’s a sensory garden with herbs to smell and the tinkle of water to listen to and activity panels. Great for little ones but slightly less interesting for the bigger kids. However, there’s plenty to keep them occupied coming up.
The giant ‘extinct’ band gave us a laugh. Press the button and a lively song comes on. My boys joined in dancing and shaking the maracas.
The water play area had immediate appeal for both my kids but I managed to persuade them to save this until we were heading back as a last activity as I knew they’d like to get a bit wet. They spent ages here filling buckets with water, sloshing it down the water channels, through water wheels and creating dams.
Adventure Playground at Fairytale Farm
Brand new for 2023 is the gorgeous Fairydell adventure playground and it’s included in your entry. I went along with my friend’s son when it opened so he could give the full test run and it got a very big approval.
Fairytale Farm continues to develop and there’s something new every visit! One thing that doesn’t change is the inclusivity. Perfectly tailored to children with additional needs.
Fun Games at Fairytale Farm
Have a go at giant wooden skittles or pump the water and race the rubber ducks.
Dinosaur Walkway
Take a walk on the wild side and meet the roarsome dinosaurs after a little archaeological dig.
Meet the Animals
There was a surprising number and variety of animals in the educational animal zone and you can purchase food to feed them too. Alfie the Alpaca and his friends were very curious and we loved them. There’s a nice little loop route through the animal area and everything is wheelchair and pushchair friendly.
Eating & Drinking at Fairytale Farm
There are plenty of tables outside where you can picnic which is great when you’re looking for a good value day out. However, the café inside has a great selection of meals, sandwiches and cakes and a little indoor play area by the seating. The day I visited it was incredibly busy and the kitchen were a bit overwhelmed so it took along time to queue and then for our food to arrive. However, I think we hit the absolute peak time on one of their busiest days and it’s probably not usually that stretched.
My first reaction to Fairytale Farm was that it wouldn’t keep us occupied for long and it was a little run down in areas. However, there’s actually a lot packed into the space and we ended up spending half a day and probably could have spent longer if I hadn’t wrestled them away from the water area. Mostly importantly I asked my kids to give a score out of 10 as they were the reason we were visiting. Both gave a thumbs up and 10 out of 10.
Fairytale Farm is the UK’s first visitor attraction to put disabled children first in their design and layout , but it’s also great for children of all abilities.
Check their website for admission prices and upcoming events.
