Wimpole Home Farm — Attraction in South Cambridgeshire

I would have given Wimpole Home Farm 5 stars but I can't bring myself to do it based in the new lay out of the car park. No doubt about it the original car park needed some attention (you needed wellies just stepping out of your car). The new one has tarmac, masses of parent parking with decent sized spaces, separate spaces for elderly/infirm customers and disabled customers, ample parking for the hundreds of people who visit etc. Excellent sign posting but for one major oversight: plenty of 'way out' signs but no 'way in' signs (it's the wooden building on top of the hill). Like I say excellent new car park and lots of thought has gone into it ... so why on earth have they not addressed the most important issue?: location. Its another 5-7 minutes on top of an already lengthy 10 minute walk to Home Farm (add another 10 mins for short legged toddlers). Home Farm is hugely popular with families for very good reason: fabulous variety of farm animals, careful attention to hygiene, high standards of animal welfare, opportunities to get close up to the animals (rabbit petting, pig feeding etc), spacious well appointed cafe etc but sadly is a bit of a mish to get to unless you are feeling fit and have time on your hands. Why why why did Wimpole land planners not locate the car park closer to the farm??? It would put me off going unless it was for the whole day which is quite an ask when trying to factor in naps, weaning, lunch etc for my 21 month and 6 month old children. One point I would like to mention to all the mum's and dads out there is that the baby changing facilities at the new entrance of the park are fantastic. Thank you to who ever was in charge of that area! Plenty of space for my double buggy, clean, separate loo within the room for an adult with an attached toddler toilet seat, adequate hand washing facilities. Only thing to improve it would be to have more than one baby changing room, some wipes or paper to sanitize the changer and maybe a little seat to plonk a waiting child or be able to breastfeed a baby. But all in all pretty good compared to a...

As local National Trust members we've been here lots of times and it's always a lovely trip out with the toddler and baby. It's lovely to walk around and has a smallish farm and 2 play areas. Most paths are fine for an off road buggy and all are well signposted with lots to stop and look at for those with little legs. The farm is nice but not that big. The big barn could easily be used for something fun for kids eg. some ride on toys or a play area with hay bales and tunnels!

The play areas are better for older children really. The adventure playground is for older children and is great for them but not really suitable for toddlers. The park area near the farm is a bit small and could do with a re-vamp. The tractor is great fun for smaller kids, but during holidays and on a weekend is overrun with older children so is intimidating for little ones. The play areas are all wooden though which is a refreshing change.

The walled garden is always lovely to have a walk around even in winter when there's not so much there. We've been there when various displays have been on which are always good, and the toddlers enjoy running down the paths too.

The restaurant and cafe get very busy but we usually take a picnic as there's lots of benches around in the area near the park. In the summer it's perfect for just a blanket on the ground while the kids play.

The car parks get busy but there's lots of space in the overflow carparks as well so it's usually not a problem.

All in all it's a great day out if you're NT members as it's completely free but if not, it is a bit pricey but still worth a visit if you're...

Great place to go with the family. Avoid weekends if possible as it can be very busy. Pre-booked tickets only, but check the website regularly for updates and opening/closing times as these can vary.

They have a massive new car park and ticket office (with toilets) which is a long walk away from the main stable block. Bear this in mind if you have small kids or difficulty walking long distances. You may want to take a buggy or walking aid/wheelchair.

Be prepared to queue for 10-15mins or so while covid restrictions are in place.

Only the main rectory restaurant is open at the mo, so if you’re craving coffee on arrival, go to the cafe first before starting your walk. Farm cafe is currently closed but toilets are open. Adventure playground is currently closed.

One-way system in place to visit the farm - it’s a very long route around the house, gardens and path. It took us nearly 40mins to reach the farm, owing to small kids needing to stop several times. We also had to queue for about 20mins to enter the farm. Bring your own snacks and drinks to keep you going...