Hoo Farm Telford Review
Hoo Farm
Telford
Reviewed by Beckie Smith
When we were asked to review Hoo Farm myself and my children were really excited, we love zoos and farms and had never been to Hoo Farm.
Hoo Farm is easily found off junction 4 of the M54, although the leaflet says junction 6 I think it’s depends on what direction you are coming from. The journey was a total of 27 miles from our house and took 50 minutes to get there.
Hoo farm has one small car park on site near the entrance to the farm which was full when we arrived just after 11am and a large overflow park further down the lane. A lot of people including ourselves chose to park on the quiet road just outside the zoo as it was nearer.
We were given a map of the farm and a leaflet listing the feeding times of the different animals and talks so we could plan our day to get the most out of it.
Hoo farm is not just a stereotypical farm with cows and sheep but also has more exotic animals like meerkats, warthogs and lemurs to name but a few. The children enjoyed reading the information about each animal which is very educational and they learned a lot of things about each animal.
The farm is very clean and the animals look well cared for, it was nice that you can get close to the goats, sheep and cows. The children enjoyed petting them and buying food to feed them.
Areas to clean and sanitise hands after touching the animals situated around the park which is very useful with small children.
A block of toilets with baby changing facilities is situated near to the entrance to the farm. I did have to queue for about 5 minutes when I needed to change my daughter’s nappy as there was only one small area to use.
The farm has a small shop where you can buy food from, I think for the size of the farm it needs to be a bit bigger. We took a packed lunch with us so was pleased to find there were a couple of picnic areas with plenty of benches and a park area for the children to play on.
After we finished looking at the animals we went on a forest walk with lots of miniature houses dotted around, the children loved exploring and saw it as a little adventure.
The children wanted a souvenir of the day so went and chose something from the gift shop to remember the day, the prices in the gift shop are quite reasonable and didn’t break the bank.
I do think the admission is quite high. If you buy the tickets online its £8.45 for an adult and £8 for a child, if you buy on her gate it is £9.45 for an adult and £9.00 for a child there is also family tickets you can buy which are £40 online or £49 on the gate which is for a family of 5. I do think that there needs to be a wider price gap between an adult’s ticket and a child’s.
I would recommend Hoo Farm to parents with children up to the age of 10, but think it’s more aimed at younger children. We had a very enjoyable day and will be returning soon, the children are already asking when they can visit again!
Rating: 4/5
For more information or to book tickets online visit www.hoofarm.com.
Hoo Farm, Preston on the Weald Moors, Telford, Shropshire, TF6 6DJ | 01952 677917
