Abbotsbury Childrens Farm, Weymouth

well what a fanastic day out we had at abbotsbury childrens farm! all the children (ranging from 1-7yrs old) enjoyed themselves and them falling alseep in the car on the way home was proof enough! The farm has lots of petting animals which can also be fed by visitors, i think the winner was the mini ponies though- my daughter went around and around and around on them! as well as this we had a great area to sit and have our lunch, we decided to try out their cafe and it was lovely! big doorsetp sandwiches for the adults and kids packs for the children which were all reasonably priced!whilst were were eating adrinking our coffee the children were able to run aorund in the indoor soft play area, so they were not bored at any moment! The boys couldnt wait to take part inm the tractor races and spent the next hr or so chasing each other around! just before we left we watched the goat race and some of the children in our group were allowed to take the goats for warm down walks before we left and then help to tuck them down in their sleeping area for a nap, and i dont think the goats were the only tired ones as there was a lot of snoring coming from the back seats on our way home.

This is a very scenic farm, in picturesque Dorset countryside. Great open air activities, like watching(and placing bets on) goat races (mine was Paddy McGinty; he came fifth), feeding the chickens and cuddling rabbits. There are mini tractors to drive around a little circuit, and tyre swings and hay bales to climb on. Inside a huge barn is a soft play area, so you're not bereft if it starts to tip down with rain. There's a small cafe, too, but picnicing might be better as it's a fairly basic set-up. You're also close to Chesil Beach and Abbotsbury Swannery here, so it's a one-stop-shop in this part of Dorset. I'd say this farm is a half-day experience rather than a whole day but it's good value and in a picture-postcard setting.

This is a good afternoon’s fun. The animals are entertaining enough, my small daughter spent the whole four hours in the guinea pig barn delightedly squeezing various colours of rodent, and feeding the competitors after the goat race was particularly popular. But it’s the playing opportunities that set this apart from the ordinary open farm. The hay bale playing area is great, the sandpit has some serious engineering equipment in it worthy of a science museum, the play barn is superb and sitting in the sun in the Tithe Barn courtyard by the big beautiful duck pond whilst the kids rocket around on a pivoting double swing thing was very good.