Longdown Farm & A First Pony Ride

During our stay in The New Forest over the summer, we decided it was time to visit a farm. The children always enjoy seeing animals and we hadn’t been for a while, so we headed to Longdown Farm

Longdown farm entrance

It was a nice warm, dry day, perfect for a farm visit. Longdown Farm is an activity farm with plenty of opportunity for children to get up close to the animals, feed them, hold them and run around and play.

When we arrived, it was immediately time to feed the calves, so we joined the short queue and enjoyed the chance to bottle feed a calf. My children were a little nervous,so I ended up helping them. Cows can be very keen and hungry for their milk.

The goats that we went on to feed next, were also very keen on their milk, but were good fun with their cheeky little ways. Pinky and Boo absolutely loved brushing them. I really had to use some negotiating skills to get them to move onto something else!

The children had a great time running around, playing in the playground and the soft play. The trampolines and go karts were a big hit too, as were the ride-on tractors. I don’t think my children will ever tire of ride-on toys, even though they are really rather big for them now.

Pinky and Boo adored stroking the rabbits. They were such beautiful big, fluffy bunny’s who sat so nicely for all the children. The tiny chicks were also just gorgeous to hold.

BB of course had to check out his digging skills on the digger. It was quite a skill to master, but he did really well, he loved it.

Before we left, we promised Pinky and Boo they could have a ride on a pony (which cost extra). They had never ridden before and were desperate to try. The grins on their faces says it all, they absolutely adored it, such a wonderful special moment trying something new.

Longdown activity farm is a fantastic place for young children, with loads of fun to be had and animals to interact with. There is a cafe if you choose to buy food, but we enjoyed a picnic in the play area.

It was a wonderful day, especially with our first ever pony ride!