Day Out: Burpham Court Farm Park

On perhaps the coldest day of the year so far, Sara decided that it would be a fabulous idea to walk about in the mud and sludge at the Burpham Court Farm Park in Surrey. I interpreted this to mean that my beloved almost-three-year-old godchild Keira was tired of being cooped up indoors and so we readily agreed.

It was so cold today that we noticed that even the ducks were cold! Before we disturbed these two their heads were completely tucked under their wings.

Still, they do look healthy and that is what impressed me the most about Burpham Court - all of the animals looked really healthy and well looked after.

Some of the ducks seemed to be involved in a biathlon type of event which involved swimming across the pond, running around it and swimming back across it again. They seemed to be very intent upon their purpose and it was interesting to watch their ritual!

We were quite taken by the geese as they were so majestic and they had such beautiful blue eyes. I think these might be West of England geese with the grey-headed female and the all-white males.

We wandered into a barn with many sheep and their little lambs. The sheep seemed to like Keira but they did not like me and my camera! Still, I got one picture of a little lamb. Keira's nickname is Lambchops and she was very intrigued to meet the real Lambchops.

They have llamas at Burpham Court and these animals are not shy! There was one scary moment when we were certain that one of the llamas was going to eat Keira's Teddy but it all seemed to end alright.

Did I mention it was cold? After visiting the llamas (and teaching Keira to say "llama" and not "banana") we visited the goats. Sara and I had great fun at this stage trying not to get into mud up to our ankles.

At 3pm we were lucky enough to catch up with Farmer Bob as it was time to bring the goats and the llamas in and feed them. First he involved all of the little children in collecting the animal's buckets and putting them in the right pens. Then he took them on a tour of the chicken coops while they looked for any eggs.

Then all the little children helped herd in the goats and the llamas so that they could eat.

Burpham Court is a rare breeds conservation park and I was really interested to see some rare breeds of pig and goat there. Despite the cold, it was a really nice opportunity to introduce Keira to life on a farm and for her to interact with animals on a deeper level than just a petting farm at a funfair. The animals are in excellent condition and the whole experience is just long enough to keep a small child's attention before they spot the playground at the end. I'd definitely consider going again in the summer as I imagine it might be nice to stop off in the tea garden for some refreshments.

I'd also like to keep an eye on developments at the place because the farmer has been given quite the legal runaround by the National Trust and Guildford City Council. They certainly need support!