Christmas Tree Farm — Attraction in Tonbridge and Malling

We visit this farm regularly (often bringing friends and their kids as well) and are good customers. They have set their closing time on Google as 4pm, and we arrived at 3.10. We didn’t realise that closing at 4 meant closed for entry at 3. Still, 50 minutes is more than enough time for a 2 year old to spend on a small farm, so we looked around for a staff member to see if we could go in.

There was nobody to be seen except one man in a green jumper who was opening up a shed. We said “excuse me” but he did not respond and was showing other customers the shed. We waited for several minutes but, conscious of the dwindling time and the fact that the man was in no rush to acknowledge us, we went into the rabbit and guinea pig area, which is opposite reception. I kept glancing back to reception, but he still did not materialise. Children regularly want top-ups of food for the animals (which they pay for) so why the farm has nobody staffing the desk after 3 is beyond me. It’s not like entrance to the farm is cheap.

As we began to walk through toward the farm, the man finally appeared, telling us the farm was closed and he had seen us “sneaking in.” I tried to answer him and explain we’d been waiting for him for several minutes, as well as make the point that our daughter would clearly want to buy a bucket of food, but he had already turned his back on me and walked away.

Several times, I tried to engage him in conversation to explain we had every intention of paying our entrance fee and were in fact regulars, and every time he would reiterate that we had “snuck in” and again walk away in the middle of me trying to speak with him.

Another couple in the same situation showed up and asked if they could enter and were also told no. Their reason for arriving at what was now about 13 minutes past 3 was that their daughter is disabled and sometimes can take a while to get out of the house. They said they had driven a very long way.

Both us and them would have willingly paid our entrance fee in full knowledge that we would have limited time, and yet there was zero flexibility, regardless of circumstances.

For me, though, the issue here is not the rigidness of the rules, but the rudeness of the person enforcing them. Being continually accused of what amounts to theft, and not even having the courtesy to stop for 30 seconds to talk to somebody face to face is totally unacceptable. I don’t see why I should have to talk to somebody’s back when I’ve come to their business as a customer.

Christmas Tree Farm should update themselves on Google to more accurately reflect their entrance times - not that we’ll benefit from it as we clearly won’t be coming again. It’s a real shame as this has ruined our experience of what was a regular, enjoyable outing...

If you don't have time to read this lengthy rant, search the 1 star reviews to read the managers responses. Then decide for yourself if this is a establishment you want to financially support. 🙃 I definitely regret it.

SO, I hate to be this person but here it goes, for the animals.

If you turn a blind eye to it and are just going for the 'fun' I doubt you would question it. But this place made my anxiety sky rocket due to animal welfare concerns. I tried to enjoy it but really felt for the animals the whole way round.

I'm terrible at being concise but I can try:

All pens were overcrowded, filthy and had limited space for so many animals, a real competition for food and shelter! Goodness knows how some don't become malnourished other than the hand feeds they receive, it very much is survival of the fittest. How is there even enough water for so many animals in one pen? Also horses should have a salt block in summer, I don't know about other animals

All naturally grass-grazing animals where well, lacking any grass or hay that I could see?!? (yes it is the height of a hot summer but still). Other pens for animals that weren't grass-grazing had more! Horses naturally graze all day, and get moved fields when they run out of healthy grass to eat?

The obvious facilities for animals, the pigs mud pit, the ducks 'pond' were incredibly overcrowded and not of sufficient size.

Don't get me started on the small animal pens, where is the stimulation? The rabbits had no runs or way of exercise that I could see, the bird cages were overcrowded & incredibly soiled. Two birds were in tiny cages alone. The many ferrets had the most understimulating climbing facilities ever. I like to think most would have more entertainment as well-loved pets.

The chickens may have been rescue but had all their own rear feathers plucked out. One donkey was choking consistently almost like it had bad acid reflux if that is such a thing.

That's just the basics. I understand this place probably doesn't make a massive profit to keep so many animals and thus can't hire many staff to care and maintain said animals. But anyone that thinks these conditions are okay, even if they are rescued needs to start questioning things.

Please don't let your kids grow up to think this is okay. Animals deserve...

Not the kind of afternoon i had planned and i am sad to leave this review as previously this has been a lovely day out. However, today was far from good. I arrived at 16:20 under the impression they shut at 17:00, i then waited for 20 minutes at the ticket office as i didn’t want to enter without getting a ticket (i understand they rely fully on tickets to keep the farm going), when i was finally attended to i was very rudely told to leave and last admission is at 16:00, not the least bit apologetic even though their website is wrong and misleading. As i had driven a long way to get to the farm i walked down the pub to have a quick drink before doing the long journey home. At 16:50 a man entered the pub and became very confrontational when asking who was parked at the farm, i answered and went to move my car, i was watched the whole time and made to feel very unwanted, bare in mind it’s not even 17:00 yet!!! Apparently the staff member had been waiting 20 minutes for me to leave which can’t be true as i was there at 16:30. Overall, an awful experience and i will never return, such a shame as it’s my dads favourite place and i come once a month. Staff members need to be taught some lessons in manners i think. Edit - i am absolutely shocked by the response from the owner, i also have evidence of the time i was at your farm. I arrived at exactly 16:23 as seen in the image below. Regardless, the time itself is not the problem here, there is a right way to speak to potential customers and in no way was the way me and my partner were spoken to “polite”. You checked the cameras at 16:55 right, so when you told me you had been waiting 20 minutes for us to leave the farm that was actually inaccurate? Who’s the liar now? Dramatic effect much. I would like to add that i am a young 18 year old woman, and i would call the behaviour i received as bullying. Two middle aged men obviously saw me as someone who they can bully and intimidate. I did apologise to both of you when i returned to the farm at 17:01, in which you both nodded, so you did definitely hear me, i can attach the dash cam footage of me apologising to you both if i need to jog...