Days Out | Tattershall Farm Park

Tattershall Farm Park is a small farm park with plenty of outdoor animal pens, outdoor play areas and a small assortment of places to eat. We visited Tattershall Farm Park during the time period when indoor attractions had to remain closed under the coronavirus restrictions, due to this the indoor play areas, indoor animal barns and the cafe were closed.

In previous visits entry and exit were via the gift shop. Now you enter via an outdoor booth just outside the shop. The staff member wasn't wearing a mask but that maybe due to the individuals circumstance rather than general policy so it's not my place to judge. In general the site felt very covid secure as it has such an ample amount of open space. This is one of the few places you can visit without having to pre-book first-largely due to the aforementioned outdoor space. This may have changed when indoor attractions are open again so please do check.

As our experience was outdoor only our enjoyment of the day was somewhat weather dependant. We had a brief spell of quite heavy rain but luckily we were around the falconry area which offered some protection from the rain. The falconry centre is a u shaped arrangement of cages, each containing a fascinating bird of prey. In the centre of the u shape is an area of grass where the birds are shackled to posts and can flap around. Honestly, I'm not sure why they do this with birds of prey as I always find it distressing watching them flap then be pulled back. That's not a negative comment specific to Tattershall Farm Park, just an observation about falconry in general. They do have regular demonstrations of the birds out on a stretch of grass just in front of the falconry centre and it was great to see them flying, it was also pretty funny when one had a leisurely perch on a nearby tree and refused to come down!

After 10 minutes the rain moved on and we were treated to glorious sunshine which was very lucky as we'd packed a picnic. There were a few food outlets open, The Fodder Box that was operating from a mobile van and also from a window opening from the main cafe. There was also a stand alone outlet selling ice creams, milkshakes and slushes. Due to the restrictions there was no indoor seating available. Thankfully by the time we ate our picnic the weather was sunny and warm but it would have been less enjoyable had we had to eat in the rain! The farm has provided ample picnic benches around the park, some of which are under umbrellas. The food is a little expensive but on par with all other attractions with two small hot chocolates costing just over £5 and crisps at £1 a bag. We brought a picnic as we weren't sure whether they catered for gluten free diets or not. Plus I was being a good adult and using the food we had at home rather than buying more!

So there are plenty of food options for the humans so what about feeding the animals? As you arrive at the park you are given the option to purchase animal food for two legged animals or four legged animals. We got a mix of both, two packets of four legged feed and one packet of two legged feed. In future, I'd just get four legged animal feed as there are more of those type of animals to feed plus when you're feeding two legged animals you are just throwing it into the enclosure (I tried hand feeding an ostrich- I do NOT recommend!) 

In terms of four legged animals there are sheep, cows, bulls, pigs, llamas and goats. All the animals are kept in widely spread pens with wire fencing. Most of the animals are used to being fed so they gather around the fence when they see you coming. A possible downside is on busy days they've been fed so much they aren't bothered but it's still enjoyable to watch them play together, the goats and lambs in particular are fun to watch and the pigs are adorable when they start to play with a ball (though you might want to hold your nose around the pig pen!). Please make sure that everyone holds the food in their palms and that they keep their hands flat, we don't want any fingers being mistaken for a tasty carrot!

Two legged animals include ducks, geese, cockatoos, parrots, cockerels, and the falconry centre that includes owls, hawks etc. Whilst beautiful to look at I found these animals were less likely to keep Iris's attention. She preferred the animals that she could be more hands on with but older children may enjoy engaging with the birds and reading the information sheets around the pens. 

My particular favourite was the ferrets, I loved watching them play together and they are just so cute.

Meerkats are always a great addition to any animal adventure. Iris is a big fan of meerkats.

IMPORTANT: Please check each individual area for signage before feeding an animal as some are on special diets and cannot be fed. 

The farm park excels in play areas, even without the soft play areas being open. Iris loved the sensory music area when we visited when she was 18 months old and again now at 3. 

There is a fantastic balancing obstacle course and the jumping pillows are every kids dream. There are climbing frames to suit all ages and even a bouncy castle slide. I think that perhaps the play element of this place overshadows the animals. 

Alongside the main picnic area is a small area with traditional games such as bean bag toss, hoopla and splat the rat. We loved playing with these, there's something so wonderful about playing a game as a family, it's especially nice to see nowadays as so many kids are stuck to screens, (no judgement btw, we all use screens to survive sometimes). Daddy and I got a little bit too competitive with the bean toss and as you can see Iris takes Hoopla very seriously!

Situated around 10 minutes drive from Tattershall Lakes, and 20 minutes from Tythe Lodge this is an ideal family afternoon out. It's fantastic value at £7.95 per person (aged 2+) and concessions are available. It doesn't take long to walk around the farm, maybe an hour or two if you take your time feeding the animals. The play areas can keep kids occupied for an infinite amount of time, especially when indoors is open as well. It's probably a day out that takes 3-4 hours at a leisurely pace. A majority of the park is wheelchair/pushchair accessible so it's a great day out for the whole family. 

We will definitely be going back to Tattershall Farm Park when we are next in the area. It's such a fun day out and I'm eager to report back on the indoor facilities now they have reopened and Iris is old enough to fully benefit from them.

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