I absolutely love this place so much! There are several things to do here all in one place and you’re guaranteed to have a good time. We first took Arjun with our friends when he was about 11 months old and although we loved it at that time too, this time was even better as Arjun is now walking and got to experience a lot more of what they have to offer.
The farm is about a 25 minute journey from us and is located in St Albans in Hertfordshire. The entry cost is £8.50 per adult and under 2s are free. In my opinion this is fantastic value for money based on all that’s available in one place.
Our trip on New Years eve has got to be one of my most favourite days out with Arjun. It bought me so much joy watching him enjoy himself as much as he did and seeing different sides of his personality shine through.
I’ve included pictures from our New Years Eve trip and also our first trip just before Arjun’s birthday.
Here’s why we love Willow’s Farm:
• Lots to do!: It’s amazing with a toddler as there’s so much to do. Arjun often gets bored after a while, but here there’s so much to do, he was constantly engaged. We didn’t even end up needing the buggy as he was happy to run around himself!
• Feeding Animals: Arjun loved feeding the animals. Although the outdoor animals weren’t present due to the cold, we still got to feed some animals indoors. He loves feeding the dogs at home so this was no different.
• Animal Petting: Arjun got to pet a guinea pig while Preetam and I held him (I was terrified but I did it for Arj!). Arjun is definitely a feeder – the poor guniea pig ended up surrounded by food with no real appetite! Arjun cried his eyes out when we gave the guniea pig back. He also loved petting the horses and kept pointing to them. Not sure if he thought they were giant versions of Bruno! Haha!
• Sandpit and Water Area: Arjun LOVED this! He really enjoyed splashing about in the water and playing with the ample sand toys available there. There are lots of wooden tractors and diggers here too with different mechanisms to do different things, for example pump water. It’s so educational and fun for kids.
• JCB Tractor Area: Arjun loves his JCB truck and we actually bought it for him following on from our first visit to the farm. This is a great mini tractor area with lots of different sized ride on tractors and diggers.
• Agility Area: there’s an area for older kids including things like zip wires.
• Swings and Slides: There’s a play area which we didn’t go to this time but Arjun loved the swings and slides the last time,
• Treasure Hunt: during the summer they have a treasure hunt challenge whereby you search for 5 gold pieces in exchange for a medal. The dad’s got even more excited by this than the kids!
• Bouncy Castle: During the summer there are lots of inflatable fun play zones for children of all ages. Arjun played on the bouncy castle the last time we went and his older toddler buddies also went on the huge inflatable slide.
• Toddler Ice Rink: During Christmas they have a supercool toddler ice rink which we didn’t get to try out but definitely will be next year!
• Crafts Area: Again, we ran out of time but this is also something that is offered in the Busy Bees marquee.
• Tractor Ride: This is like a train ride whereby you get to see around the farm. We enjoyed going on this in the Summer as we got to see around the grounds. It also gave us all a little break from walking!
• Funfair Rides: there are three little rides for babies and toddlers. The last time, I sat with Arjun on a ride however on New Years Eve he decided he wanted to go alone – my baby is all grown up! 🙁 He went on it twice, and had fun steering his little car’s wheel. He had a huge meltdown when it came to getting off!
• Soft Play: “Toddler Town” Their soft play is absolutely brilliant! I wish I could transform my house in to something similar as it looks like so much fun! They have several different areas with different settings and Arjun really enjoyed playing here. They also have a play zone for older children which looked like heaps of fun!
• Play Zone: they have a giant play zone for older children similar to Snakes and Ladders which we’ve not yet used as Arjun’s too small.
• Food!: The snacks available for children is phenomenal. I’ve not seen such a wide variety for children in a farm before – from cheese, to individual triangle sandwiches in several flavours, to grapes, to yoghurt, to raisins, they have LOTS! Even for vegetarians. Their adult selection of food is also brilliant.
And if the above isn’t enough, Willow’s Farm also offers lots of muddy puddles in the rain! Something that definitely kept Arjun entertained!
Have you ever been to Willow’s? x
