Almond Valley

For a whole load of family friendly destinations all in one place head to the Almond Valley. Spread out in a mile-long woodland setting next to the River Almond, there is plenty to enjoy and explore, no matter what the weather. The old stone watermill and byres are home to a plethora of pets and poultry and friendly farm animals, so you can get close to them and closer still during the handling sessions that take place regularly.

The farm animals include horses, donkeys, cattle, pigs, goats and sheep, and chickens, ducks and geese as well. In the Wings and Whiskers building you will find the farm’s smaller (but just-as- noisy) animals. There are rabbits, guinea pigs, budgies and other aviary-dwellers, and more small creatures. At weekends and during the holidays there are small animal encounter sessions and you have the chance to get nose-to-nose with a rabbit or guinea pig, and discover their favourite food and many other little animal secrets.

On the other side of the river there are the thrills of trampolines, pedal go-carts and super-fast subterranean sledges set in among woods and gardens, for the under – fives there’s a farm yard complete with pedal tractors that they can zip about in. There are also seasonal trailer rides or you could take a trip on the narrow-gauge railway. You can bounce about on the Nutty Bouncer – a giant pillow or on the more traditional Bouncy Cow.

There are indoor soft play areas and playgrounds, Morag’s Meadow is especially for three to eight year olds where they can imagine being shrunk to the size of a mouse, and crawl through the gaps in a dry-stone wall, or bounce across the leaves of giant vegetables.  Flora’s Forest is a separate soft play room; a fantasy land especially for babies and toddlers. For over-5s there is the Oilshale Adventure Zone, where you can scramble around and explore an old shale oil refinery. You can rest and refuel in the comfy surroundings of Morag’s Milk Bar, where the menu includes hot and cold drinks, snacks and lunches and baking and other treats.