I’ve often heard Odds Farm Park being recommended for a fun day out so was super excited to visit with my just turned 2 year old. My first thought, was why on earth haven’t I been here before.
Odds Farm Park has the full works to ensure your children are happily occupied for a whole day. It’s one of only 23 rare breed farms in the whole of the UK and the animals were a definite highlight.
Tractor Ride at Odds Farm
We started our exploration with a tractor trailer ride. My little one is tractor crazy and he loved the experience. It lasted for just over 15 minutes which was the perfect length of time to get an overview of the farm. We were taken right into the middle of a field of cows which felt a little like a mini farm safari experience and past the large enclosures with sheep, goats and the most adorable donkeys.
Meet the animals
There are regular daily activities which change with the seasons. Many of them are in the indoor barn so perfect on a colder day. We fed the sheep and goats (well I fed them while my little one squealed with delight, especially when one of the sheep let out a really loud baaaa) and had a lovely time stroking the guinea pigs. There was also a milking demonstration as well as egg collecting, bunny time, brush the animals and piggies tea time. I’d like to come back in the spring to bottle feed the kid goats.
Outside, we had a great time wandering around looking at the pigs, cows and the inquisitive turkey who was just as interested in us.
Outdoor Play
You won’t be disappointed with all the outdoor adventure play areas. I was particularly impressed with the variety which is suitable for a wide age range. There was lots that my 2 year old could enjoy but I did feel guilty for not having my 6 and 8 year old with me as they would have loved it. I now need to go back and take them too one weekend.
There’s a large outdoor adventure play area with a great big slide, tunnels, balancing beams and walkways. Next to it is a fantastic beach area with plenty of buckets and spades and an old fashioned water pump there too.
At the far end of the Odds Farm, the adventure fort is a fantastic big wooden structure, perfect for imaginative play.
If that wasn’t enough, there’s also a maze which I didn’t work up the courage to venture into but definitely will next time, go karts, fitness trail, pedal tractors and mini golf. The space outside is also enjoyable just to wander around with thoughtful play areas, a duck pond and even a couple of big old tractors just to sit on and make believe.
Splash Park
H2Odds is the brand new splash park introduced this summer and even though it was the 1st October, we were in! Luckily the sun was out as the temptation of water and lots of watering cans was too much not to try it out.
It features over 500 square metres of water play. An usual network of waterways, it boasts 28 water play features and over 80 metres of channels, streams and pools. What’s not to love!
Indoor Play
Odds Farm doesn’t disappoint inside either which makes this a great place to visit even when it’s a bit damp or cooler. I visited early in October and while the sun was shining it was also good to escape indoors (and the coffee is great too). The giant indoor play barn is pretty cool with plenty of brightly coloured seating around so grown ups can chill out too. There are three giant slides, perfect for slightly older kids who enjoy the rush. I’m scared of heights so there’s no way I was attempting the vertical drop slide. I’ve tried to take a photo but it’s impossible to capture the wow of the drop. The indoor soft play caters for all ages with a ball pit area for under 2’s, a toddler section and then the free for all adventure for bigger kids.
Eating & Drinking at Odds Farm
After exploring Odds Farm, my son and I had definitely worked up an appetite. Outside there are lots of picnic tables if you’re bringing your own lunch but I’d definitely recommend their restaurant, Marmalade’s Tea Room. The cakes looked really tempting but we went straight in for a full on lunch. The ingredients are sourced from Britain, using free range, organic, ethical and fair trade produce to serve fresh and super yummy food. I loved that the adult meals were available as kids portions. There are the usual favourites that even fussy kids would love but we decided to try out the cheese and onion loaded potato skins and randomly asked for peas on the side as my little ones is obsessed with them at the moment. The food was great and I wasn’t surprised to find out that they’ve won the prestigious “Silver” Award for the Café/Tea Room of the Year at the Beautiful South Awards.
You can probably tell from my review that I loved Odds Farm. They kindly gave me complimentary tickets to visit but that has in no way swayed my review. All reviews on Red Kite Days have been visited by a real Mum and we only share places we’d genuinely recommend to a friend. I had a fab time and loved seeing how excited my little one was enjoying all that was on offer. My 6 and 8 year old had a good look at all our photos after school pick up and they want to visit too. I’ll definitely be back!
