Spurred on by friends who have recently visited, today we went to Canon Hall Farm near Barnsley. It was a freezing cold day but even the coldest of beings couldn't fail to be warmed by the gorgeous baby animals cosy in their pens at Canon Hall Farm. We saw sheep with their lambs, fabulous Highland cows resplendent with huge horns and cute calves and lots of guinea pigs and rabbits. My favourite were the pigs - always so much bigger than you ever imagine - but helpfully making all the correct "oink" noises to show little ones that their parents are not entirely mad when they make that noise to show what a pig says! There were some really young piglets too.
Parking is £2.50 (with £1.50 redeemable in the cafe) and entry for adults is £4.25. Children under 3 are free. The farm is entirely pram or pushchair friendly and our little one was delighted as a pygmy goat kid popped up to say hello.
Being slightly neurotic about cleanliness I was really impressed with the number of hand washing stations and information about washing hands after handling the animals. The farm is obviously a working farm but my wellies weren't really needed as the paths are clean. There are some big improvement works being done too; the greatest of these will be a playground that, judging by the pictures, will surely have me wishing I was young enough to go down the slides - opening later this year it is something I will remember for when my little one is older.
We warmed up with a nice cup of tea and piece of cake in the cafe - plenty of highchairs available along with a microwave to heat up milk if needed. There is a farm shop next to the cafe selling local food which was really busy.
Canon Hall Farm clearly know who their visitors are and the place is well set-up for children and babies. The countryside in the area is really lovely and I'd like to explore more of the Canon Hall estate. On a final note, as feeding the ducks is something I mention a lot in my blog I really ought to say that on our way back to the main road, in the Canon Hall estate, there is a great duck feeding spot. We'll definitely be back; hopefully in warmer weather!
Sunday 20 February 2011
Fairburn Ings
We've had 2 visits to Fairburn Ings; one in summer and one in winter. Located just to the east of Leeds, next to Castleford, the site is an RSBP run nature reserve. On our most recent visit we took our little one and the pram.
The main car park is just near the village of Fairburn (see location map below) where there is a visitor centre and facilities. The site charges £2 for parking. The visitor centre is small with not much to offer, but there are some refreshments available and toilets which include a baby change. Just near the visitor centre are a couple of feeding stations which attract lots of familiar garden birds. Paths around the reserve stem from the centre where we set off. On the walk there are points of interest for children and the bird hides we visited had useful information about birds recently viewed and examples of others that could be seen from the hides.
Although most of our walk was suitable for the pram as we tried to loop to the larger stretch of water we got horribly stuck in thick mud and had to turn back. In drier weather a pram or pushchair would be fine; this time we wished we taken our baby carrier. Obviously it's pretty difficult to spend long stretches bird watching when you have a baby or toddler, so it is hard to fully appreciate all that is on offer at Fairburn Ings, but it is certainly somewhere I would take older children.
A definite plus for smaller children however are the ducks! Those with small people know that duck feeding is a preferred activity which creates much excitement. As duck feeding venues go, Fairburn Ings is impressive! Just off the main car park there is a boardwalk over some reed beds where ducks and geese congregate waiting for food. Even better, if this is just the purpose of your visit then the first 30 minutes in the car park is free. Now I just need to research good food places nearby to make this visit a proper day out!
RSPB website for Fairburn Ings http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/f/fairburnings/
Click here for a Google map of the site
The main car park is just near the village of Fairburn (see location map below) where there is a visitor centre and facilities. The site charges £2 for parking. The visitor centre is small with not much to offer, but there are some refreshments available and toilets which include a baby change. Just near the visitor centre are a couple of feeding stations which attract lots of familiar garden birds. Paths around the reserve stem from the centre where we set off. On the walk there are points of interest for children and the bird hides we visited had useful information about birds recently viewed and examples of others that could be seen from the hides.
Although most of our walk was suitable for the pram as we tried to loop to the larger stretch of water we got horribly stuck in thick mud and had to turn back. In drier weather a pram or pushchair would be fine; this time we wished we taken our baby carrier. Obviously it's pretty difficult to spend long stretches bird watching when you have a baby or toddler, so it is hard to fully appreciate all that is on offer at Fairburn Ings, but it is certainly somewhere I would take older children.
A definite plus for smaller children however are the ducks! Those with small people know that duck feeding is a preferred activity which creates much excitement. As duck feeding venues go, Fairburn Ings is impressive! Just off the main car park there is a boardwalk over some reed beds where ducks and geese congregate waiting for food. Even better, if this is just the purpose of your visit then the first 30 minutes in the car park is free. Now I just need to research good food places nearby to make this visit a proper day out!
RSPB website for Fairburn Ings http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/f/fairburnings/
Click here for a Google map of the site
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