Having never ventured here before, we were greatly impressed by the value for money presented here; unfortunately it was bitter cold (sorry Beatrice for your winter birthday) so we only stayed for a few hours but we packed plenty in. In fact we never even made it to a few of the included activities.
Set over a huge piece of land, Marsh Farm has something for all children under ten and mine were enthralled despite the cold weather.
First up we enjoyed the Peppa Pig meet and greet - the staff and Peppa herself, were very friendly and happy for the children to have a photo alone with Peppa and then one with all the family. They even had a member of staff designated to take family snaps, which I thought was a nice touch. Beatrice was utterly delighted meeting her hero, and whilst Bridget is four and considers herself a little too grown up for Peppa Pig, she was excited too.
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| Bridget and Beatrice meeting Peppa Pig at Marsh Farm |
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| Peppa Pig at Marsh Farm |
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| Bridget and Beatrice waiting to see Peppa Pig at Marsh Farm |
Straight from here we went to the fairground rides, of which there was a just a couple geared towards small children; the classic cups and saucers ride and a carousel. Both Bridget and Beatrice love the rides and so were very happy as you can see. I thought it was great that these were inclusive of the entrance price too - not like some other places I've visited, such as The Hop Farm in Kent, where everything is an additional cost.
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| My baby Beatrice enjoying her 2nd birthday at Marsh Farm |
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| Bridget at Marsh Farm |
Next on our agenda was a visit to the indoor barn animals and we were thrilled to see some baby lambs and piglets cuddled up to their mummas. Super cute.
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| Piglets at Marsh Farm |
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| Baby lamb at Marsh Farm |
There was also some interestingly attired Shetland ponies with multi-coloured hair - Bridget was impressed and said it reminded her of Shimmer & Shine. Indoors there were also ferrets, guinea pigs and some rabbits. Each keeping the girls more than interested.
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| Shetland pony, Sparkle at Marsh Farm |
The adventure playground is of excellent quality and there really is a section for all ages covered, it's set over a wide area with lots of different climbing apparatus and slides etc.
By the time we'd done all of this, we were freezing and so headed to the Indoor Soft Play Barn which handily has a restaurant and coffee shop attached. This was a great opportunity for the girls to run around and warm up, with Glen following hot on their heels, whilst I enjoyed a lovely hot chocolate.
We went for the tractor ride next; which seems to be a standard at these types of places, and whilst it was good, it was a very short ride compared to Barleylands (also in Essex) or Willows Activity Farm (in nearby Hertfordshire) which we visited at Christmas time. We did get to ride swiftly through muddy puddles, spot some interesting birds and look out for other wildlife whilst waving at various dog-walkers but we we just on the tractor ride for less than five minutes.
We then had a walk around the Animal Trail spotting some giant rabbits, a number of birds, poultry and ducks and even alpacas and llamas. Apparently in the summer you can do llama walking which sounds fun (although not for me!). It did mention on the website about an Animal Trail book where you collect stickers throughout the trail, but we never got given one, so maybe this is just in the summer too. Nevertheless the girls really enjoyed spotting all of the animals.
The girls had a go on the mini tractor park and the bouncy pillows - massive bouncy castle-esque creations and were just delighted with everything.
We also enjoyed the jewel hunting which we did on the way out. It's a huge sandy area with colourful glass jewels which the children collect. Equipped with buckets and spades, I can imagine spending hours here with my two as they love any kind of treasure hunt, but by this point we really were freezing and so it was a quick ten minute dash.
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| Beatrice Jewel Hunting at Marsh Farm |
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| Bridget Jewel Hunting at March Farm |
Unfortunately, the cold prevented us having a game of crazy golf, or attempting the huge chicken and egg maze and we didn't even find the aviary or the den-building area. Again, it looks like in the summer months there is a huge array of additional activities, from goat-racing, educational pet shows and interactive entertainment; so we'll definitely be looking to do a return visit in the summer months - we had a great time with what was available anyway. Family time is so precious and especially celebrating Beatrice's birthday just the four of us.
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| Happy family time for Beatrice's second birthday at Marsh Farm |
The price of tickets if you purchase in advance of visiting is £12.50 for the character event, and everything mentioned is included in that price, which I think is excellent value for money. Under two's go free but we just missed out on that.
Marsh Farm is an ideal day out with toddlers and pre-schoolers as there is so much to do and I'd advise bringing a picnic once the weather warms up if you're planning a visit and making a real day of it. We'll definitely be back soon.
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