Willows Activity Farm Summer Spectacular

Willows Activity Farm is filled with fun to entertain younger children and the recent addition of the Peter Rabbit Adventure Playground makes for a day out that should definitely be on your list this Summer holidays.

There is a video of what you can expect from a day out at Willows Activity Farm here…

Farmyard Fun

We headed straight for the farm animals in The Farmyard and there were horses and cows, pigs, goats and rabbits to see in the huge covered barn. You can feed the animals if you want to and time your visit right then you can have a gentle hold of a gorgeous guinea pig. The goats were the friendliest (i.e. greediest) and they jumped up to nibble food pellets out of The Wild One’s (5yrs) hand.

Peter Rabbit Adventure Playground

There are some huge Peter Rabbit fans in our house thanks to the CBeebies series. We made sure that the Peter Rabbit Adventure Playground was next on our visit. Jeremy Fisher’s Musical Pond was a favourite for Cub (18months) as there are instruments to explore and chime. The little sandpit next to Mrs Tiggywinkle’s house was fantastic as we could sit down whilst Cub played in the sand and The Wild One climbed all over the Peter Rabbit Secret Treehouse. The playground even has Mr McGregor’s Garden, complete with radishes to ‘steal’ and tunnels to crawl through and slide down.

Take a look at our video of the Peter Rabbit Adventure Playground here…

We could’ve stayed in the playground area but it was time to head over to the Peter Rabbit Theatre for the Peter Rabbit Show.  The shows are worth seeing as the children are encouraged to get up and move about and the performances are fairly short – perfect for the young audience as little wrigglers don’t need to sit still for long. The added wonder of seeing Peter Rabbit on stage is a bonus and if the weather isn’t great it is good to be under cover for a while.

Tristan the Tractor and JCB Young Driver’s Zone

After the show we wandered across the river for a ride on Tristan the Tractor. The tractor trailer ride is suitably bumpy and the tractor drives through two deep patches of water for added excitement! We saw a calf and lots of sheep and The Wild One and Cub loved it so much that they wanted to stay on for a second ride around.

No time for that, as we headed up to the Woolly Jumpers Barn for some lunch. If you decide to bring a picnic there are two covered picnic areas and lots of picnic tables outside too. There are lots of options for children and we put together boxes for them with a sandwich, grapes, sausages, jelly and a drink. The cafe is inside the soft play barn so the children were tempted to run off and play (make sure you bring socks and trousers if you want to try all the slides inside). Next to the soft play barn Cottontail Village is a fantastic small world play area for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

Next it was on to the JCB Young Driver’s Zone. Imagine a load of JCB ride-on toys and a generous area to ride around. The only trouble is if your children are little (like Cub), then you spend all your time bent over pushing a tiny JCB around. This area is also covered which would be welcome on a wet day and is great of a bit of shade on a sunny day. Just outside the JCB area we spotted Peter Rabbit meeting his fans so we decided to leave the diggers behind and join the queue.

There really is so much to do at Willows Activity Farm and all the rides and attractions are included in the entry price – the only thing you need to pay for once you are there is food and drinks.  Booking your tickets in advance online will save you money on the entry price.

We found ourselves wandering down the hill past swings, a trim trail and a combine harvester climbing frame! The rides in the little fairground were gentle enough that even Cub could have a spin on the tea-cup ride, just before he dropped off for a snooze.

A-maize-ing Maze

Over the Summer holidays the A-maize-ing Maze is open for young explorers. This was hard work with a sleeping toddler in a buggy as the terrain is understandably rugged but The Wild One was having a great time wandering through the maze and discovering different characters from the Peter Rabbit series. Each character has a number to help solve a puzzle. Later on in the Summer you can even go and dig up your own bunch of carrots to take home! Check the Willows Activity Farm website for details of the Carrot Carnival.

After another visit to the Peter Rabbit Adventure Playground (they loved it that much) and the Peter Rabbit Theatre to see the Lily Bobtail Show, it was time to head home. We didn’t have time to visit the Big Dig Sand and Splash Play Area, pan for gold in the Gold Stream or see the Goat Racing but we were all worn out!

Every year Willows Activity Farm add something new and exciting but this year there are so many great new things to see and do. Just off Junction 22 of the M25 in St Albans, Hertfordshire Willows Activity Farm is a fantastic day out and we all gave it a huge thumbs up.

Prices and all other information correct on date of publication.

To avoid disappointment check with the venue before you travel.

Willows Activity Farm is in St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0PF.

Disclosure: this post was brought to you in association with Willows Activity Farm