Udderly Ridiculous Farm Life — Attraction in Blandford-Blenheim

ETA: I didn’t write this review to deter folks from attending, just sharing my experience - it was a good time, and I appreciate the time and effort gone in to making such experiences with animals possible here. I also appreciate the need for a cancellation policy, and that people take advantage of this otherwise - just sucked that it couldn’t be adjusted at all.

Original: A friend and I went for an alpaca picnic and it was an overall good experience! The alpacas (and all animals) are clearly well cared for. Overall I enjoyed the experience, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting having been to other similar food + animal type experiences for the cost. If I hadn't had other similar experiences as a comparator, I think I would have enjoyed this one even more, but that's not to say that this picnic wasn't 'worth it'.

Pros: Loved the local foods included in our picnic basket, and there were quite a bit of leftovers to take home, which made the cost feel more worth it. They even provided a takeaway container, though I wish I had brought another one since we were two people in separate cars (that's on me). A neat surprise that we were not expecting (maybe we didn't read properly ahead of time!) was that a small thing of goat milk ice cream was provided as part of the picnic experience - lots of unique flavours and samples provided to try before you selected which one to have. I liked the lavender vanilla bean; seemed unique! Very clean, tidy facility overall. Although it is just the 1 bathroom inside, it is kept very clean, organized and family friendly (e.g., change table). There are additional 'less traditional' bathrooms outside as well. Super cute shop, with mostly very reasonable prices - loved the samples, and loved that you could buy the products that you enjoyed from your picnic basket in the shop. I feel like 90 minutes was a good amount of time for the experience; allowed you a good amount of time to eat and spend time with the animals. Food pellets were also provided to give to the alpacas which was really fun. Although we didn't pay to see other animals, we were able to wander to look at the goats, a donkey, etc. when I asked if it was possible. Seems to be a very well oiled machine they are organized and clearly have done this many times!

(Minor) Cons: Customer service left a little something to be desired - nothing horrible in particular happened, it just wasn't as 'friendly' as I would have expected I suppose, compared to other similar experiences elsewhere. Kind of underwhelming, I suppose. The cancellation/rescheduling policy is very strict/not flexible (which I get, to a point). We had booked a picnic in the summer, and despite waking up and feeling very ill unexpectedly (on a 40+ degree day), there appeared to be zero understanding/empathy and nothing they could/would do to refund partially or reschedule us. We really wanted to come here, hence why we booked a second time. So our picnic actually cost us double for the experience (because we lost our first booking payment). I acknowledge that this experience is partly why I feel a bit more critical about the picnic overall. Given that we are interacting with animals/on a farm, I think it would be neat to have the food prepped ahead of time (i.e., not have to spend our time and use dirty-ish hands cutting bread, cheese, etc.). This is also considering the amount you are paying for the experience (I kind of expected prepped foods!). That being said, there was a bucket of soapy water to wash our hands with at the picnic/bathrooms we could walk to if we chose to.

Overall though, kudos to the team for creating such a unique experience and for taking such good care of the animals and sharing that with the public! Despite my minor cons listed, I would recommend the experience to others - it makes for great photos, if...

Udderly Ridiculous Farm Life was an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life. I had purchased a gift certificate for my niece for her 50th birthday. I wanted it to be special…not jusa piece of clothing or perfume. I wanted a heartwarming experience I could share with my niece that would create a memory the two of us would cherish for all time. Well not only did that happen …this experience far exceeded my expectations. I was so overwhelmed with love and happiness , I actually got emotional at times. You hold a 4 week old baby goat in your arms and feed it a bottle and tell me you wouldn’t get all teary eyed.

I rented the Luxury RV and am so happy I did! The second we pulled up the goats and Lama greeted us energetically with their adorable “Bahhhhs and goat cries”! All we could do is laugh, and we laughed so much our whole stay. They are so close to the RV! So we sat outside our first night there, fed them treats supplied by Cheryl, pat them, loved them, and were in awe of their comical antics. The RV is a must stay. It is huge and equipped with all the comforts of home…we were definitely pleasantly surprised. There were special added treats of farm fresh eggs on the kitchen table and a beautiful assortment of freshly baked cookies on the counter.

Cheryl, who runs the farm with her husband is one special angel. I cannot praise her enough. Her knowledge of farming, farm life, the animals, the environment, the earth, and her passion for all of the above is simply amazing! She respects her animals and knows their wants, needs, and boundaries. We learned so much about all the animals, the goats, lamas, alpacas, highland cows, even the chickens. We interacted with all of them and again it was simply magical.

I cannot even begin to express my gratitude to Cheryl and the wonderful, heartwarming experience she provided for us. Thank you Cheryl…you are one beautiful, amazing lady…as are your loving furry friends. THANK YOU!!!!

We are definitely coming back! See you in the Fall!

Chris...

This experience was absolutely amazing and exceeded my expectations. We signed up for the Mini Highland Experience on Thursday afternoon and the Taste of Farm Life Experience on Friday morning. For accommodations, on Thursday night, we stayed at the RV that they have set up on-site. Things are all scheduled so nothing overlaps so you can choose more than one adventure! If you are so inclined for this type of experience this one is a must. Cheryl could not have been a more gracious host, she thought of everything. Her broad and deep knowledge of the farm, the animals, and the science blew me away. You can ask her anything. All the animals are beautiful. You must note that this is not a petting farm, which is why we chose it as an experience. You can get up close to the animals in a controlled and calm fashion. They are sooooo loved by their owners and that shows through as an underlying theme at all times. The welfare and care of the animals comes first without a doubt. We had so much fun watching Snickers guard the goats, meeting all the Highland Cows and especially brushing Muriel and Oreo, walking Alpacas, interacting with the goats...and Aspen and Abby (their dog and cat) were always around to say hello. Most of all, personally, I appreciated the learning aspect of what goes in to keeping a farm going and the breeding of the animals. Cheryl is a terrific communicator and passes on her knowledge with ease. They also have an amazing store where you can find local products, as well. I could honestly go on and on but safe to say, if you are debating on whether to sign up for any of the experiences....do it! Bravo Cheryl. Thank you for you wonderful...