Looking for a family day out with animals, outdoor play equipment and indoor soft play areas? Instead of running around to three separate places, you can enjoy all of these activities at Godstone Farm. If you’re able to time your visit when the sun’s out, which is difficult in the UK, then you’re in for a great day!
Date Visited: Monday, 29th August 2022
Location: Tilburstow Hill Rd, Godstone RH9 8LX
Getting There: Driving is the easiest option. There is a bus stop in Godstone about 15 minutes walk away, but not sure where the bus goes or how often.
Cost: Tickets to enter were £13.45 per person, although can be cheaper on a non-bank holiday and for those under 2 years. Small extras if you wanted to include animal feed (£1), or a ‘transformation’ for the kids to turn them into a fairy with wings and face paint (£6). Food and drinks extra.
Review:
Only a 40-odd minute drive for us, it was a last minute, night before Google search of what to do on a bank holiday. We previously visited Millets Farm and wanted something similar with outdoor activities and animals or a playground. But without having to drive too far. As luck would have it, we found Godstone Farm. Had never heard of it before so decided to book some tickets to check it out.
On arrival, we decided to do a lap of the farm park and visit all the animals first. Cara loved seeing all the cute bunnies, guinea pigs, chickens and pigs. More importantly, she liked pointing out all the different types of poo in each pen. There’s plenty of timed events, with one of the more popular ones being the ‘hogstacle course’ where piglets run around a little assault course. It also introduces kids to a non-monetary version of gambling where you can back a pig to win for fun.
Afterwards, we headed to the outdoor play area which was vast and varied. Cara loved climbing up and sliding down the equipment. We tried all of them except the artificial grass toboggans as it didn’t seem to be working too well for the other kids attempting to slide down it. There’s also a huge sandpit with plenty of toys. To mix things up, Cara then wanted to go to the indoor soft play area. As it was a bank holiday, it was busy and limited to 30 minutes (although you could then line up again to go back in). However, that was more than plenty for Cara to squeeze and roll around.
Interactive animals…
Once all the climbing was done, we went back to the animals. Behind the play barn there’s more ducks and free range guinea pigs. You can even walk within the enclosure and attempt to pat the guinea pigs. Cara did her best to pat one but the guinea pigs were either too smart or too scarred from previous children to stay still long enough. If you don’t get a chance to pat them there, you can pop into the animal holding barn where the staff kindly assist the children to pat some furry, and not so furry creatures. If they’re brave enough, they can also handle a land snail, stick inset and hissing cockroach. Cara declined those but was more than happy to pat the others.
By this point, we were fairly hungry and had completed the Godstone Farm circuit. So we washed our hands, checked out the gift shop and made our way to the local pub for lunch. We had a fun day out with lots of smiles, giggles and poo-spotting. Lovely way to finish off the summer, school holidays. Godstone Farm is clean, easy to get around with amenities available at both ends of the farm park. There’s plenty of hand-washing stations as well to ensure good hygiene. There are some tricky areas for prams and wheelchairs where there’s gravel, grass and small inclines.
Tips:
- Food choices are limited once inside. There are some lovely pubs down the road if you prefer to grab lunch outside of Godstone Farm. We opted for The Bell Inn which had a tasty lunch menu.
- If you prefer to save some money and pack your own food, there are plenty of picnic areas. Bring a blanket so the kids can keep playing while you eat.
- If you’re unlucky enough to visit during a rainy day, bring a poncho and some wellies. There’s not a lot of coverage.
Ratings:
Burn Time: 5 out of 5 – Cara loved it and wants to go back already after spending a good 3 hours there.
Value: 4 out of 5 – Not the cheapest of farm park visits, but you definitely get value if you make the most out of all the activities and events on offer.
Overall: 5 out of 5 – We had a great family day out and loved seeing Cara’s smile while patting the animals.
Have you been to Godstone Farm or other farm parks that we can try? Let us know in the comments below.
