I’ve been meaning to write about our visit to Mrs Dowsons Farm Park last Summer for ages. We won a competition for a family ticket and had such a lovely day. Seeing as spring is the perfect time to visit a farm I thought I would share our experience with you.

Mrs Dowsons Farm Park is a family-run dairy farm in Blackburn, Lancashire. The farm is passionate about giving children and adults the opportunity to see, touch and even handle the animals, under the handler’s supervision. This is an amazing feature of the farm, kids learn so much more with a hands-on experience.

The first thing I noticed about the farm on arrival was just how clean and tidy the grounds were. Once we got our wristbands we checked out the daily timetable for talk and activity times. The farm guides give expert talks and tours throughout the day.

We started by visiting the horses and donkeys. Daisy loves horses and she was delighted by how friendly they were. One of the farm guides had a bucket of feed for the kids to feed the animals and he explained how to do this safely.

There are stamp stations around the farm that you can stamp into the guides you get from the entrance. I think this is a lovely touch and the kids really enjoyed looking for them and using the stamps.

We followed the farm guide around the pig and goat enclosures, the kids could take some more feed from his bucket to feed the animals. All of the animals we came across were super friendly and very happy to be petted and of course, get a tasty treat.

There are lots of other animals to see around the farm including emus and alpacas. I also came across a bee shed where you could watch a bee hive in action which was fascinating.

Our favourite experience was feeding the calves after listening to the working farm talk. I think it’s so important for kids to understand the farming industry and where their food comes from. Visiting farms is not only a fun day out but an educational one too.

There’s a great play area for the kids including a huge sand pit that the kids spent ages playing in. Jake was excited to ride on mini tractors, he would love one of these for our garden at home. Opposite the play area is a big green space with some picnic benches, the perfect place for a spot of lunch.

The kids had the opportunity to hold and pet some of the smaller animals in the barn. They were a little nervous about handling the chicks so Daddy helped them out. I was really impressed at how hands-on the whole farm park is, everything is included in the cost of your ticket which is fantastic value.

We have visited a few other farms over the years but this has been our favourite. Not only is it great value for money it’s super friendly too.

We had such a good time visiting Mrs Downsons, but we couldn’t leave without letting the kids sample the delicious-looking homemade ice cream. I think you can tell from the photo below that the ice cream was an absolute hit.

Things You Might Want To Know 

Standard ticket prices are currently £6.79 per person. (updates 6.11.24) *price is a guide and subject to change*

Dogs are not permitted on the farm.

There are events throughout the year for example at Easter, Christmas and Halloween. Check the website for more information.