Willows Farm Village
February Frolics:
Lambing Event
16-24 February 2013
Reviewed by Shelly Harper
On Monday 18 February 2013 myself, a friend and our two children went to Willows Farm Village in London Colney.
Set in the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside, Willows Farm Village offers a wonderful family day out with a fun packed programme of farmyard animals adventure play, fun fair rides, children’s shows, falconry displays and tractor rides. They have plenty of indoor adventure soft play too. With a seasonally changing programme there is always something new to see and do from new born lambs at their February Frolics event, Easter Egg and Bunny Hunts, an A-maize-ing Maze in the summer, free pumpkins during our Pumpkin Festival and Santa’s Grotto at Christmas.
Upon entering Willows Farm Village the children wanted to go straight into Farmyard Favourites, the animal handling area which is situated just as you go in the entrance. Within this area are a variety of petting animals in which we got to see several piglets, goats, guinea pigs, rabbits, and even a horse. The children were very excited as there is also a seating area within Farmyard Favourites in which the children got to have a seat and hold some very tame guinea pigs which certainly put them in a good mood for the rest of the day. Willows Farm Village is very hygienic and within all areas where animals can be petted and food can be consumed, there are several wash basins in order for everyone to get clean to prevent illnesses.
From Farmyard Favourites the girls wanted to go on the Magical ice rink which runs during the winter from November to February. Here the children could skate on a synthetic ice rink under the cover of a marquee to keep them warm and dry. If necessary skaters can have the aid of a penguin to hold on to whilst skating, this is great for the smaller children who have not yet learnt to skate. The girls really enjoyed the skating particularly as they did not get cold and wet when they slipped over.
After the girls had finished skating I decided we should see the main attraction currently at Willows Farm Village which is the lambing marquee. Within the lambing marquee are lots of sheep that have either had lambs or are due to have lambs any day now. The little lambs ranged from being born that day to being a few weeks old which is simply adorable. Later in the day we returned to the lambing marquee to see the lamb bottle-feeding demonstration and within minutes of us entering the marquee we all got to see a lamb being born right in front of us which was a great experience for all. The staff explained to us that once the lamb has been born, maternal instinct should kick in and the mother will lick her lamb to get it clean and encourage a bond. Unfortunately the new mother did not take immediately to her new-born which was a little sad to see but with assistance from staff, the mum soon recognised that the lamb was hers and did everything she was meant to do. Also during the lamb bottle-feeding demonstration, we met three little lambs which had unfortunately been rejected by the mother so staff have been bottle feeding them every five hours during the day and night and learnt this will continue for at least another few months, much like when human new-born babies are born.
Next the children decided they wanted to take a ride on Tristan the Runaway Tractor which is a tractor with a huge trailer which takes you round a few of the fields within Willows Farm Village. This has to be an ultimate experience for any young farmer in the making as you got to see a few of the animals, drive through big muddy puddles and sing along to some classic nursery rhymes such as The Wheels on the Bus. I thought a ride on Tristan the Runaway Tractor was educational and fun as children are actively encouraged to be involved on the journey.
After the excitement of a ride on Tristan the Runaway Tractor we decided it would be nice to visit the animals that are kept in various pens around the farm village. We got to see many farm animals such as horses, chickens, goats, cows, reindeer and even birds of prey such as owls, eagles and vultures which the children particularly loved as they have had an experience with these birds in school recently. They were very proud to inform us which of the animals they have been able to meet, touch and even hold.
Due to all the walking around the girls decided it was their feeding time so we took a seat at one of the many picnic tables available within Willows Farm Village. It is worth noting that there is a the Farmhouse Restaurant, The Woolly Jumper Coffee Shop and a few kiosks within Willows Farm Village where you can purchase food, refreshments and even ice cream but on this particular day we decided to take our own packed lunch. Again, around all eating areas there are many wash basins for everyone to clean up before eating to prevent illness.
Following lunch we decided to go to the Mad Science Farming Show situated within Woolly’s Showtime Theatre. Within the theatre the children we shown some very interesting experiments with dry ice. All throughout the show, the children were prompted to answer scientific related questions to understand how the experiments worked and a few children were even invited up to the front to take part in some of the experiments which I thought definitely helped capture their imagination and kept them interested in what they were being shown.
After the Mad Science Farming Show, I decided it was time for some outdoor fun with an activity. We walked up to the far side of Willows Farm Village where we found Frisbee Golf. I had never seen this before but it is definitely something that everyone can get involved in no matter how young or old. Within the pen there are various cut outs of farm animals which have holes cut into them in various shapes, sizes and positions. The idea was to thrown your frisbee through the hole to earn points and the person with the person with the most points wins. Although Frisbee Golf looks much easier than it is, it is great fun.
By the time we had finished battling each other at Frisbee Golf it was time to Meet the Falconer which I have to say, was much better than I thought considering I have a fear of birds. The falconer gave the children lots of information about the birds including how they like to live, eat and their splendid capabilities when it comes to their vision. My girls were particularly captivated by this talk and I thought it proved to be highly educational for both children and adults.
Following our Meet the Falconer time, the children decided they wanted to play in one of the many outdoor and indoor play areas available within Willows Farm Village so they opted for Woolly’s Workout Agility Play Trail as it looked a bit of a challenge with lots of swings, ropes, balancing and climbing to take on. Other play areas within Willows Farm Village include Tree House Adventure, an Under 5’s Play Area for smaller visitors, Build ‘n’ Play which is a massive sand pit where kids can literally build and play and a huge indoor play area, Woolly Jumpers Indoor Play Barn and Coffee Shop.
Due to time limitations we had to leave Willows Farm Village at this point but there was so much more we could have done including:
Lakeside Walks
Lambing
Enjoying fairground rides
Fleecy Arts and Crafts
Farmyard Games
Meet the Shepherd
I highly recommend families visit Willows Farm Village as there is so much to see and do especially this week with lambs being born every day but if you are unable to attend between now and the 24 February 2013 you can watch Willows Lamb Cam here.
We had a great day out and will definitely be visiting again. Lots of fun and very educational too!
Rating: 5/5 
For more information or to book tickets online visit www.willowsfarmvillage.com.
