Bucklebury Farm Park is an animal park located in Bucklebury in Berkshire, England. The Farm Park consists of mostly Animals, Play equipment, Deer and Woody's Cafe which opened in 2013. Bucklebury Farm Park also houses a revolutionary Jumping Pillow which is one of only few in the UK.
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It is a very nice location. Beautiful animals. I got to hand-feed deer through a fence. They have a wide expanse to run around in. I saw a hare running through the same field.
The Woodland Walk was lovely. We saw some lovely floofs - gloriously-haired chickens. There were turkeys as well and it was good to see them.
There's a duck pond as you enter, next to which is an area that attracts dragonflies that alight on the wooden fence beside you as you walk through the park.
There are donkeys, sheep, goats, alpacas, guinea pigs, rabbits of all sizes, pigs lazing out in the mud, and miniature horses
We got to meet Boo, a lovely rabbit. The person working there handling her was very friendly and knowledgeable.
Gilly, the white goat was lovely. She enjoyed being petted and was a wonderful character.
There is another section with goats immediately behind the first section you come to that houses goats, so don't hand out too much feed and then run out for the others. There is a kiosk next to the farmyard animals section to buy bags of feed. However, you need to have exact money - £1.20 per bag.
There are plenty of places to wash your hands in line with DEFRA guidelines. The toilet facilities are unisex and very clean.
The cafe itself is very pleasant, nicely laid out, with an outside decking area. There's a soft play area right next to it.
My only criticisms pertained to the cafe staff, who were super-slow on our visit. Even though I was next to be served and standing at the counter, it was still several minutes before I was acknowledged, which felt awkward.
A woman with a tartan headband kept popping out of a side door, standing for a while next to the serving area before disappearing again. Then reappearing to do the same.
When I finally got served, it was as if the person taking my order was on another planet entirely. There but not there.
Another slight criticism. When I asked where the spoons were, I was handed one but the person gave it to me by the part which goes into the mouth, not by the handle which isn't good practice, as her hands could have picked up germs which I would then have ingested.
The food, however, and the hot beverages were first-rate. I'm not knocking off a star, for the snail's pace and peculiar atmosphere on our visit to the cafe, as the remainder of the park and our day was entirely worthwhile.
It's at the cafe that you show your admission tickets.
The animals are clearly very happy and healthy. The staff I met in the farmyard section looked as if they enjoyed every second of their day.
The site isn't wheelchair accessible.
It's a good 2-3 hour visit, and it's a place you could certainly come back to again. We definitely will because the tractors weren't running on the day we visited.
Bucklebury Farm & Deer Safari Park comes highly...
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Disappointing Visit – Could Be So Much Better
Bucklebury Farm has the potential to be a lovely family spot, but our experience today was quite disappointing. It’s a small, quaint farm with some anmals to feed, which is nice, but the overall organisation and visitor experience really let it down.
We arrived around 2:30–3pm after our little ones’ naps, only to find the hot food kitchen already closed. When we asked if they could make adult sandwiches, we were told no as they were “clearing down”. The only option was an overpriced kids’ sandwich, which turned out to be half a sandwich cut into two tiny fingers.
The tractor ride last ride 3.30pm and were completely sold out, which wasn’t made clear on the website. For something that’s clearly popular, they really should advise visitors to pre-book online to avoid disappointment. Similarly, the indoor play barn was closed (possibly due to a private party), but again, there was no notice or booking system to show what’s actually available on the day.
The only real way to see the deer is via a tractor ride, so we tried to see the deer but found there’s no proper walking route to get closer — we ended up on a rough side path near barbed wire just to catch a distant glimpse.
By 3pm also many of the animals are then full from the day, so any feed purchased is a waste of money as the animals are then full. Perhaps only sell feed from certain time onwards in the day or sell a set number or do a feeding experience.
For the price of entry, it felt poorly managed and not good value. A bit more transparency, clearer online information, and some flexibility from the café would make a big difference. As it stands, it felt average at best and not somewhere we’d...
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Fantastic day out at Bucklebury today!
It’s not somewhere I’ve started to visit until this year, my kids are 4 & 7, I always thought it didn’t look like there was much there for the money, but I was wrong - it’s fantastic, lots of little bits, and not too overwhelming!
Today they hosted a SEN walk around with Santa, it was quiet, they’d turned the music off and generally toned down Christmas, both my girls have been getting so overwhelmed and overexcited - my eldest has some challenges (including some challenging behaviours!) and it honestly couldn’t have been better!
They had fun in the park, meeting the animals, including stroking a rabbit and Guinea pig and feeding some greedy goats! They loved the soft play and indoor slides - but the highlight was Santa and Mrs Claus wandering around the farm, we saw them several times and were both super friendly - Mrs Claus knew Makaton (sign language) which my eldest uses when she’s shy/overwhelmed/tired and it was so reassuring for her. Santa had pitched it perfectly, kind and gentle but not OTT with the yo ho ho’s!!
Lots of places offer SEN session now, which is great, but often they are at inconvenient times (not any good for SEN kids who need routine/don’t necessarily fit with others schedules!). I loved that this was a full day, and so close to Christmas, it felt so inclusive and I didn’t feel paranoid about some challenges we had while there!
Oh, and delicious hot choc!!!
I’d highly recommend Bucklebury for a day out whether SEN or not, the staff are lovely and it’s lots of fun!
Well done Bucklebury team, and thank you! Merry Christmas (please run this session again, most certainly for...
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