Sunday 7th June 2015 saw hundreds of farms across the UK opening their doors to the public, giving us a chance to meet the farmers and see what goes on at our local farms . Although Open Farm Sunday has only been going since 2006, I remember going to similar days out when I was a child and have fond memories of fresh milkshakes and tractor trailer rides!
There were several options for us in Dorset but we decided to visit Middlebere and Hartlands Farm which is located in the Purbecks, not far from Corfe Castle. Entry is free so it's a cheap day out!
When we arrived we were a bit miffed to see that it wasn't actually a traditional farm as such, but one that sits within a nature reserve. It did state this on the website but we didn't actually read that bit, oops!
The first thing we spotted were some woolly pigs but they were situated next to the amazing smelling bbq which we thought was a little unfair ;) Resisting the food (it took will power of steel to resist!) we made our way over to the tractors where Elliot had lots of fun clambering on and pretending to drive. We soon saw that there were lots of little stalls offering environmental fun and info, and also some Dorset produce for sale.
There were lots of activities for Elliot to get involved in and he planted a seed, coloured in a butterfly, took part in a wildlife quiz, made a badge, pinned the tail on the cow and made a bumblebee!
Guided walks around the farm were available but we decided to go on a tractor trailer ride. These were around 20 minutes long and totally free and looked to be very popular with every ride full up. There were longer tractor rides available but these were £1pp and had to be pre-booked. The ride took us round the pretty farmland and it was interesting to hear the farmer talking about the land and the cattle that were grazing in the field.
Our last activity for the day was a spot of welly wanging! Harder than it sounds and Elliot definitely need a bit of help throwing the wellies!
Whilst it wasn't quite what we were expecting, we had a lovely (and free!) afternoon at Open Farm Sunday and we will definitely return again next year.
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