Miller's Ark Animals — Attraction in Basingstoke and Deane

This is one of the best places I have ever visited. The way we were met at the entrance by Pam, we were made to feel welcome immediately. Lovely person.

Then it was off to meet the animals. The young man who introduced us to the cattle clearly loved his job. While we were chatting to him and petting the animals, along came some happy little bantams, a turkey named Bernard, and a cute little goat, whom we got to meet face-to-face. I loved that. I don't think I've smiled as much in all my life. It's a wonderful place.

We then met some sheep, a couple of goats, and the lovely miniature horse, Prince. We were allowed to sit down next to them and just hang out and pet them. It was a lovely experience. Watching the sheep close their eyes and enjoy the moment was lovely. So much trust. I felt honoured to be able to share that special time with them. Della, a sheep, was a delight. We then met the magnificent Shire horse. A beautiful creature.

It was then onto the donkeys. What lovely people they are. There were quite a few parents with their offspring. I met Bulb. He was lovely. He nuzzled into me as I petted him. He warmed my heart when he did that. I didn't want to leave. However, there was still much to see, so reluctantly, we made our way to the goat enclosure.

That was where we (my mum and I) sat down on the ground, and so many goats made their way across to us. Some even came across as we waved to them. It was wonderful. One of the goats made it clear he/she wanted more attention by putting his/her hooves up onto us and nudging us. We were only too happy to oblige.

We then made our way to where the pigs were. They were awesome, too. They loved having their bellies rubbed. As soon as you did that, they would flop down onto the ground and turn on their side, making these cute little noises, which we were told were akin to a cat's purr. It's a sign of contentment. One flopped onto another as soon as I rubbed their belly. That made me smile.

In that enclosure, there was a stable door half open. Inside was mama pig and her porcine brood - the most adorable piglets. It was lovely to see these cute little ones, so new to life.

A little further down, we were able to sit in another enclosure with some recently born piglets. My mum got to sit and hold one, which she loved. Both the volunteers in that section were so friendly.

Then, it was time to see the mama donkeys and their children. They were so beautiful. Just around the corner from there were some chickens. One was being held and gently petted by one of the volunteers, Laura, who was great to talk with. We were introduced to another lovely goat before he wandered off into that section, which housed sheep, an adorable little lamb, and some more goats.

Just across from there was husband and wife turkeys, Dave and Davina. I had a good chat with them. Next to them were chickens and ducks, as well as free-roaming bantams. In an enclosure nearby was Desmond the turkey. He was a great chap. We hung out and communed for a short while. That was nice.

Then it was to the cleaning station, where we washed our hands before making our way back to the entrance/exit. We missed the horses this time round. However, as we will be returning, we will catch them on our next visit.

We bought a calendar of the various animals we saw on our visit, expertly photographed by Pam. She was so friendly and easy to talk with.

Then it was onto the cafe, the Old Dairy Tea Barn, which has both an outdoor seating area and a very spacious indoor area, complete with upright piano.

We ordered a hot drink and a slice of cake each. The people serving were so friendly and polite. The presentation of our order was perfect. As with everyone there, we were made to feel most welcome.

Miller's Ark Animals is 🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQIA+ 🏳️‍🌈 friendly. It has such an accepting atmosphere. It's beautifully run. It feels like home. The animals are happy. The staff clearly enjoy their time there. It's an idyll. We loved every moment of our visit, and we can't...

Had a wonderful time at Miller’s Ark during their October half term open day.

They have a great range of animals - ducks, geese, chickens, horses, pigs, donkeys, goats, turkeys and sheep.

You’re able to go into the pens with most of the animals and they have several pens of sheep, donkeys, goats and pigs which meant we never had to wait.

The staff overseeing the animal pens were friendly and helpful.

Most of the donkeys and goats were miniature / smaller breeds which is ideal for smaller children as they aren’t too intimidating in terms of size.

All of the animals seemed content and very well looked after.

I was particularly pleased to see Daisy the Shire Horse since it’s so rare to see shire horses these days.

All in all it was well worth the relatively small entrance fee and I’ll definitely be going back for more donkey therapy!

Worth knowing: You need to book in advance on their website The car park is around a 5 minute walk from the farm, it’s a relatively flat and easy walk The car park is not completely flat as it’s not surfaced in tarmac, this is typical for parking in the countryside but worth being aware of for wheelchair users There is a handwashing station to allow you to wash your hands before leaving the farm There is a cafe on-site but we didn’t go in so not included in...

Very lovely to get close and interact to the animals, most of the staff are friendly and the food was good. Although, as a cow lover, I was disappointed with what I saw today… the cows were completely “left aside” in a small area, no shade, with less than a half bucket of water which was probably warm considering the hot day it was today! The both cows were heavy breathing. Panting. Which is a sign of “heat stress” on cows. I came to check them more than once, and nobody was there. Ever! The whole farm staff were all over the other animals. Specially the goats, lambs and donkeys. The other animals all had fresh water and shade! The poor cows had no shade to cool down or fresh water. 😖 When I tried to talk to some of the staff about my concerns of the cows panting breathing, all I’ve heard was “they can feel the heat.” And she walked away! Oh yes, they do! And they were on heat stress and nothing was done! 😞 More than one staff over the goats and lambs. Not a single one around the 2 cows! Absolutely disheartening and heartbreaking. I was looking forward to our visit today and to do a sponsorship for the cows but not sure if I will be back or donate any money if that’s how the cows...