We visit Cockfields Farm in Oldham on a busy half-term day to assess this popular attraction
What is it?
Cockfields Farm is a petting farm with indoor and outdoor play areas and themed events throughout the year.
Where is it?
It is in Oldham in Ashton-under-Lyne, 10 miles east of Manchester, in north-west England.
What did we think?
I was very impressed – when we went there was a fantastic wizardry Harry Potter-style event. Staff had gone to lots of trouble and expense to make it special, plus children were encouraged to dress up for it.
We ended up staying over five hours and the children loved it. Without the Harry Potter activities there would have been less to do but there are indoor and outdoor play areas including a big bouncing pillow. The weather was good which helped as we were outside for half the time.
There are a selection of animals to see including llamas, pigmy goats, pigmy hedgehogs, lizards, snakes, rabbits and guinea pigs. A relatively small collection but there are set times throughout the day where you can meet and hold them.
Highlights:
*The variety of activities on offer and areas to play.
*An indoor role play ‘street’ with shops, a police station and a theatre.
*A big bouncy ‘pillow’ outside – a mixture between a bouncy castle and a trampoline.
*The chance to hold some of the animals during special sessions.
*The fantastic themed events during school holidays.
*The outdoor sandpit and play areas.
Our video
Watch our video of our day at Cockfields Farm then read our top tips for visiting Cockfields Farm below.
Our top tips
*Check out the website to see what themed events are coming up – the Harry Potter themed week when we went was amazing.
*Get there when it opens in school holidays as it gets really busy and the car parks fill up fast, although there is a parking marshall.
*Make sure you know what time events are on throughout the day so you don’t miss something your children would enjoy.
*It is costly so plan to spend a long time here if you can, on a nice sunny day to get your money’s worth.
*There is a café but to save spending extra money you can take a picnic – there are quite a few picnic benches outside.
*Some of the activities cost £1 extra including the diggers and quad bikes, so have some pound coins ready if you want to and take this extra cost into consideration when deciding whether to go. All the animal talks and interaction are included.
Cockfields Farm information
Food: There is a café or you can take a picnic – there are benches and tables outside.
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10am to 4.30pm. Sundays 10am to 4pm.
Cost: £8.95 per person (children under the age of one are free). Check the website for prices before you visit as they can be higher during special events. Discounts online.
Best for: Ages three to eight
Time needed: From two hours (we spent five hours there)
Read our review of all the best bits of the fabulous Tatton Park in Cheshire plus the costs for National Trust members
What is it?
Tatton Park is one of England’s largest historic estates – it has a stately home, 50 acres of landscaped gardens, 1,000 acres of parkland with deer and meres. There is also a working farm and large playground.
Where is it?
Tatton Park is near Knutsford in Cheshire a few miles from junction 19 of the M6 motorway.
What do we think?
There are so many options for children on a day out here, truly something for everyone. You can explore the parkland for just £6 a day for a family – or pay extra for the other attractions.
Our highlights
The park
The park is vast with plenty of different areas to explore.
There are two large meres where sailing takes place, woodland walks with deer to spot and places to picnic.
The wide paths through the park for cars are also popular with cyclists and supervised children on bikes and scooters.
You can park at different points inside (it is £6 per car, there is no National Trust discount for parking).
The gardens
The gardens cost extra (free for National Trust members) but can be a quieter, different and beautiful area to enjoy on busy days.
They begin with fruit and vegetable patches before expanding off a central path to some fabulous areas.
Our particular favourites are around the Japanese Gardens (you can only venture inside on a guided tour) and the bridges over the pools. There is quite a tricky maze, regular family trails to follow, a fun scarecrow hunt in February, Easter Egg hunts at Easter time and other activities all year round.
Note – you are not allowed picnics, bikes or scooters in the gardens.
The peaceful Japanese Garden at Tatton Park
The farm
A five-minute walk from the main car park is Tatton Park farm. Entry is £7 for adults, £5 for children (half price for NT members). It is a traditional 1930’s working farm with pigs, horses, donkey and chickens.
There are old tractors to sit on and Aunt Mary’s 1940’s cottage. In one barn you can ride on toy cars and tractors.
Next to the farm is a good adventure playground, picnic area and woodland trails.
Pigs are just one of the animals at Tatton’s working farm
The mansion
Home to the Egerton family, the house contains a huge library and other artefacts.
The main interest for children is exploring the large servants’ kitchen and living quarters, which are nicely done. The mansion is used for events at Easter and Christmas geared to children.
Child-friendly facilities
There is a huge playground next to the main car park which is always very busy.
There is often a small train to take children from the playground to the farm (at a cost). Burger and ice cream vans are on site too.
In the main stables courtyard near the garden’s entrance there is often a couple of carousels (£2.50 a go). There are also two restaurants – a large self-service area and the smaller Gardeners’ Cottage.
National Trust
Unlike most National Trust sites, National Trust members still have to pay to park at Tatton Park, which costs £6, unless you park in Knutsford and walk in, but it is quite a walk to the main part.
However, entry to the house and gardens is free to National Trust members and entry to the farm is half price.
Conclusion
Tatton Park is geared towards children – you can have fun here without entering any of the paid attractions but if you do choose – the farm and gardens are the best value.
Our top tips
*Enter Tatton Park from the smaller, less-used Knutsford entrance and you can drive through the park to get a feel for it and park next to Melchett Mere for a good picnic spot.
Tatton Park information
Food: Picnics are welcome, except in the gardens. There are two cafes/restaurants in the courtyard, near the garden’s entrance – a large self service area called the Stables Restaurant, perfect for children and the smaller and more formal Gardeners’ Cottage. There is also a shop selling ice creams.
Opening hours: It varies depending on the time of year and the farm is open at more limited times, check here for details.
Cost: Car parking costs £7 (even to National Trust members). A Totally Tatton family ticket to all attractions is £33. Adult ticket £7 per attraction, child (aged four to 15) £5. National Trust members – free entry to gardens and mansion, half-price entry to farm.
Best for: ages three to 10.
Time needed: Doing every attraction is a full day out. Visiting the park for a walk or bike ride can be done in 90 minutes.
Access and restrictions: All Tatton’s shops and the Stables Restaurant are fully accessible to wheelchair users. Electric buggies (gardens only) and manual wheelchairs are available for loan but can not be used to move between attractions and in the park. Book a wheelchair loan on 01625 374400.
Address: Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 6QN.
Have you been to Tatton Park? Do you like it as much as we do? Let us know in the comments.
(Pictures in this article are courtesy of National Trust Images and Tatton Park).
Read our review of Holgates Silverdale Caravan Park on the Cumbria/Lancashire border
A long black tongue curls around a handful of leaves my son is holding out at arm’s length and his face lights up with excitement.
Feeding a giraffe wasn’t something we expected to be doing on our holiday to Silverdale.
But from meeting these gentle giants, to bird spotting and watching a Chilean rodent settle in my son’s hood, our week on the Cumbria/Lancashire border brought us closer to nature.
And nature was certainly close by at our base for the week – Holgates Silverdale Caravan Park – an immaculate site overlooking Morecambe Bay.
Expectations were high as it is multi-award winning – and it didn’t disappoint.
Located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the only sounds from the decking outside our holiday home were birdsong.
Static caravan
The static caravan soon felt like a home from home. It was modern with a sea view and included everything we could need.
Our two children loved the outdoor play areas and the woodland walks from directly outside our plot. Facilities include a leisure centre with pool, gym, games room, soft play area and a bar and restaurant.
The swimming pool
Many of the holiday homes are privately owned but there are others to rent as well as space for touring caravans and tents. Or if you like camping but crave a bit more comfort, you can even hire a camping pod with lighting, heating, a plug socket and a sofa bed.
Surrounding area
There is plenty to do in the surrounding area and we packed as much in as possible.
Our animal interaction began at the nearby Greenlands Farm Village where Josh enjoyed feeding lambs, stroking puppies and riding a donkey.
He held a rat-like creature called a degu and was unfazed when it ran up his arm and sat on his neck before getting comfy in his coat hood.
A friendly degu
There’s plenty to do here even when it rains as this former dairy farm also has a playbarn, go karts, shops, a cafe and a garden centre.
Next stop was Leighton Moss nature reserve, run by the RSPB, where the enthusiasm of the staff is infectious.
Our two took part in their monthly Nature Tots session for young children, which was a great way to start exploring.
They were lent a fabulous child’s backpack with binoculars, magnifying glass and other useful bits to properly look around this site, where our discoveries included some baby wrens.
Further afield was South Lakes Safari Zoo where you can wander amongst kangaroos, monkeys and emus and get closer than usual to other animals like bears, hippos and wolves.
Feeding the giraffes
Our children gave food to birds and lemurs and – in case you were wondering how a small child goes about feeding the world’s tallest land animal – stood on a high platform to feed the giraffes.
In conclusion
So our holiday certainly brought us closer to nature, which we expected, and closer to a giraffe’s tongue, which we didn’t.
For more ideas, see Cumbria’s official tourist board website.
