Willows Farm Village February Lambing Event Review
February Frolics Lambing Event
Willows Farm Village
15 – 23 February 2014
Reviewed by Nealy Collins
I visited Willows Farm Village in Hertfordshire during their February Frolics event with my 3 year old son, a friend and her 3 year old daughter and we had the most fantastic day!
We began in their Wiggly Tails cafe with a hot drink sat beside a huge open (but safeguarded!) fire which was just perfect. Here we were lucky enough to meet Woolly Willow, the farms mascot who my son in particular loved!
We then went on to meet Andrew and Anna Wolfe, the owners of the farm in the Lambing Marquee. The marquee has been set up to breed lambs specifically for February half term; to give children and families the opportunity to learn about lambing, meet lots of newborn lambs and watch feeding demonstrations – all with a good chance of seeing a lamb being born!
Andrew and his wife have been farming together for over 25 years and their passion for the job is clear. They gave us a really informative talk about lambing which I found fascinating, they definitely know their stuff! Anna also demonstrated bottle feeding a newborn lamb which the children loved. They’re a really friendly couple and were more than happy to answer any questions that we had.
We were blessed with a sunny day and as we headed outside to explore the rest of the farm we really got to appreciate its beautiful setting, in the heart of the countryside with stunning views.
Although it was also cold weather, the children really enjoyed the outdoor play areas, particularly the Tree House Adventure and Under 5’s area. There’s a huge amount and variety of different activities and I can imagine in the summer months this would be even more fun.
As we explored the farm, it felt really fresh, clean, tidy and generally very well kept. It definitely has more of a family run feel to it, compared to other farms I have visited.
After stopping for lunch the children had a play in the Woolly Jumpers soft play area. This is well laid out with different areas clearly separated for different age groups (which prevents big kids jumping in the baby area for example) and good quality equipment.
We also spent some time in the recently opened Toddler Town, a unique play area for toddlers made up of different role play areas – a corner shop, vets etc. It was surprisingly quiet, most probably because the children were so heavily engrossed in their play! Both indoor play areas felt safe and secure with doors that can only be operated at parent’s height which made it all the more relaxing for us.
We ended our day in the Farmyard Favourites Barn, where we found various farm animals including pigs, goats and horses. The children loved being able to see the animals up close and throughout the day there are animal handling times offering the children the opportunity to interact even more, holding rabbits and guinea pigs.
We wanted to take another look in the Lambing Marquee before we left and we were lucky to see 2 lambs that had been born minutes before us entering. It was amazing to watch and we met Anna again who was happy to chat to us more.
The February Frolics is a great event to take the children to this half term – such an interesting visit. I for one am excited to view the Lamb Cam when it goes live. So if you don’t manage to see a baby lamb being born whilst at the farm you can check the website out when you return home!
Altogether we spent just over 6 hours at the farm but in terms of things to do we could have spent much longer there and it certainly didn’t seem like we were there for that long! There is so much that Willows Farm has to offer from Fleecy Arts and Crafts to Tractor Rides and Falconry – the list is endless.
If I’m honest I initially thought the entrance fee was quite expensive (£13.50 per child, £12.50 per adult) but having spent the day at Willows Farm I can now say it is in fact great value for money. It’s a fun packed day out for all the family and you certainly won’t be disappointed. My 3 year old and I were thoroughly engaged and entertained the whole day!
February Frolics runs between the 15 and 23 February 2014.For more information or to book tickets online visit www.willowsfarmvillage.com or call 0870 129 9718.
Rating: 5/5 
