Guest Blog from Rachel – North Leeds Mumbler
On Saturday 5th Sep we headed for our first visit at Down at the Farm (Houghton Le Spring) with our two children (aged 4 and 15 mo), and had such a great time!
Booking was by timed entry slots to encourage socially distanced queuing, and hand sanitiser was plentiful and available at various points around the farm. It was good to see the reminders that good hand washing was still needed.
There was a really good range of animals to see, including some we weren’t expecting such as Sheldon the tortoise who was HUUUUGE and the Snowy Owls which were just beautiful.
On entry we were given a family ticket for the tractor ride, which gave some brilliant views and really enjoyable commentary. They limited the number of families allowed on at once and fully sprayed the seats between rides.
Squeals of delight showed that the bouncing pillows were a hit for many children, although (unsurprisingly) most weren’t sticking to the suggested markets to keep them separate.
The highlight for our daughter had to be the barrel ride, where you sit in wheeled barrels that were pulled by a tractor… we could see her laughing the whole way! After every ride, the barrels were sprayed down for the next child.
There are a few playgrounds, with something to suit everyone. Our little boy loved running through the tunnels and climbing on the play tractor.
The café is open for takeaway and ice cream (so no indoor seating), but most people seemed to take picnics. There were lots of picnic benches around to choose from, despite it being busy.
Overall we really enjoyed our visit, and thought it was great value for the number of activities that you could do!
Useful Info
📌 Stoney Gate Lane, Houghton Le Spring, Sunderland, DH5 8JG
📞 0191 584 1873
Website / Facebook
Weekday tickets
📅 Open selected dates only during September, 10am – 3pm.
👉 £5 per person when booking online here.
– All play areas, café, and picnic areas open. Tractor/barrel and quads will not operate during the week. Opening dates will be decided every Sunday.
Weekend tickets
📅 Open every weekend during September, 10am – 5pm.
👉 Adult: £7.50, Child (2+ years): £7 when booking online here.
– All play areas, café, and picnic areas open. Tractor/barrel and quads are on as normal.
❗Details are subject to change, check directly with provider for the latest updates before making plans.
Thanks so much to our guest blogger Rachel. If you have family or friends in North Leeds be sure to let them know about the North Leeds Mumbler site.
There’s plenty on Gateshead Mumbler to help keep little ones (and big ones!) busy, with Family Friendly Days Out, Where to go on Rainy Days, Gateshead Baby to Pre-school Classes & more!
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