Visit To Cannon Hall Farm, South Yorkshire

Living in London we don’t often get out into the countryside. But all that changed when we headed north to Yorkshire to see some of my husband’s family and friends and introduce them to our youngest daughter. It was a brief visit, but while I was in the area I experienced the countryside first-hand with a farm trip. In London we have explored urban farms like Vauxhall and Hounslow but Cannon Hall Farm is on a different level entirely. It is a working farm with acres of land, plenty of animals and lots of family-friendly activities

Just off the M1 in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, Cannon Hall Farm was a perfect location to take two four-year-old girls and two young babies in prams. Being a non-local, it was new to me but clearly a popular place (it was busy). I was immediately impressed with its size and range of activities. On the day we went, Tinkerbell and Peter Pan were wandering around as part of its summer holiday calendar. It was ‘Neverland Week’ and they were performing shows at set times (which unfortunately we didn’t see).

Some of the other special summer activities included ferret and sheep racing, a milking demonstration and a tractor trailer ride which looked like a lot of fun.

We headed straight to the barns to see the animals though. As we entered the first one, there was a rather large rabbit to pet which the girls were rather excited about. They are very hot on hygiene and a row of soap dispensers and a big sink lined one corner of the barn.

Open to the public since 1989, Cannon Hall Farm went through a £1.5m facelift three years ago, redesigning its barns and farmyard. It has been done with visitors in mind – to great effect. There’s a pushchair-friendly sloping path which leads from one barn to another. It started to rain sporadically while we were at the farm but with only a few metres between each barn we barely got wet at all.

Another well-thought out feature is the elevated pathways so you are able overlook the animals. They are far easier to view from above – especially for the little ones – and better for taking photographs! You can feed the animals too by putting the feed into a shoot which then drops down into their troughs. This went down very well with the four-year-olds.

Some of the animals we saw included cows, horses, goats, alpacas and llamas.

But my favourite animals were the pigs and their gorgeous little piglets!

We were lucky enough to see brand new piglets who were born at 10pm the night before. They looked so cute scrambling around their mother to get some milk, it almost made me want to become a vegetarian there and then.

My friend got talking to one of the animal keepers who told her that pigs are pregnant for almost exactly 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days and 3 hours. Incredible ay! For horses though pregnancy is a year-long affair. The Shire horse on the right in the picture below is just nine months old! You wouldn’t think looking at the size of it. Its mother, who is standing next to him, is already pregnant again, due in April.

The great thing about the design of the barns is that you don’t get muddy at all. This was fortunate for us. Not knowing we’d be going on a rural excursion, I hadn’t packed our wellies, and I was wearing a new pair of metallic flats while Mrs T had her sandals on. Neither of us got in the least bit dirty – so this is a farm which is perfect for us city folk.

After viewing the animals, it was time for a drink and some soft play action via the craft room where the girls made crowns (we got a craft voucher to redeem when we bought our tickets).

The indoor soft play, next to a cafe/restaurant was brilliant. I mean, it has NINE slides – an absolute winner for younger kids. We enjoyed a drink and fed the babies as the older girls ran around it like loons.

Cannon Hall Farm also has an outdoor adventure playground for older children and they do a children’s afternoon tea as well. Oh, and they have meerkats too.

I can see why Cannon Hill Farm is an award-winning attraction. It is an educational space with plenty to do. We could have easily spent the whole day there. If you do, you would certainly get your money’s worth.

Need To Know
– Cannon Hall Farm is around 10 minutes from junction 37 of the M1. You will pass two carpark and need to go up a hill to get to the farm
– Parking costs £3 but a voucher can be redeemed in the Tearoom when you spend £10 or more
– Opening times – 10.30 – 5pm
– Admission – Adults and children over 2: £8.95 Under 2s go free
– For more information, visit the farm’s website