Miller's Ark Farm - Hook
Miller's Ark Farm
Blackstock's Lane, Hook, RG27 9PH
I'm not sure how I first found out about Miller's Ark Farm but it is a gem! It's a fair trek from Coulsdon, it takes about an hour and 15 minutes to drive can be longer depending on the traffic, but in my opinion it is worth the travel. They are only open to the public on certain event days that they advertise online. This half term they are open and we went today! The first time we went was in December for a Christmas special, you just have to keep your eyes peeled for dates.
The farm is not fancy and its not huge, they don't have play areas (other than hay bales) but that's part of its charm. It is a lovely farm with kind staff who are eager to tell you about the animals they work with and are clearly very passionate about. But the best thing is that you can touch all of the animals. You can literally go into the pens with the pigs, sheep, goats and donkeys. There is something very special about being able to sit in the hay and see the animals up close. Oliver and I love a farm, he is so eager to touch the animals and learn about them and here they encourage that while telling you all about them. Today we were so lucky that there were lots of babies, so we got to stroke piglets and baby goats.
They have the largest amount of donkeys I have ever seen in one place and they always seem happy, the young ones jumping and playing, it is clear the animals are well cared for. You can go in and brush the donkeys. In terms of letting people into the pens it is well organised, they have staff in each pen and they only allow a certain amount of people in at a time. You also get a decent amount of time with the animals it doesn't feel rushed. It may mean you have to wait a bit longer if it is busy but its worth it. You could also hold a variety of chickens and ducks!
There is a tractor the kids can sit on and a huge amount of muddy puddles much to every child's delight. Oliver did fall face first into what was essentially a muddy pond of a puddle today on the way back to the car which was pretty hilarious, may not have been quite so funny if it was on the way in...bring spare clothes.
Although it is a small farm they have a cafe, outdoor picnic area and a large barn with indoor seating. For such a small kitchen and kiosk to order, you might be fooled with low expectations, but the food we had today was fantastic! It was also very reasonably priced. I had a sausage & bacon casserole with warm french bread (£6.50), my dad had a Stilton burger and Oliver just wanted a cheese sandwich, we were all happy and it was all delicious. One of the farm cats decided my lap was the perfect place to curl up while we were in the large comfy barn waiting for our lunch!
There are no negatives about this place, if you love animals, this is somewhere you should visit. They are primarily a mobile farm who visit education settings and residential homes which is why they are only open to the public every so often. They also have adult only open days and options to book sessions for therapeutic experiences. The only thing I would recommend is to book tickets online, as they are careful not to admit too many people to overcrowd the place, it can get full up. There is also only one car park and when its full there is no where else to park. When we got there today it was actually full much to my dismay having driven all that way. But a very kind member of staff on the gate allowed us to drive in and wait a short while for a family to come out so that we could take their space and go in, phew!! So book online!
Entrance is £8 per person regardless of age except for under 2s its free. Cups of feed for goats and sheep are 50p each. They do take card but its better to have cash. The first time we went I hadn't considered taking cash and they were having a problem with their card machine, but they did very kindly allow me to do a bank transfer!
Its muddy, its a farm so take wellies and waterproofs. Its been raining both times I have been and it was fine, the animal pens are mainly under cover so its just wandering between them where you may get a little soggy, no problemo. What a lovely day out and experience!
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