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All 5 Bideford Attractions »

The Big Sheep

Abbotsham, Bideford EX39 5AP, England
(+44) 01237 472366
Website
Sheep Racing
....hmmmmm
The Under Two Section
An empty room under some stairs with plastic matting
62 visitor photos
Ranked #2 of 4 attractions in Bideford
4.0 of 5 stars 157 Reviews
Type: Farms
Fee: Yes
Owner description: Gold Award Winners for Tourism Excellence in SW England, The BIG Sheep is firmly established as one of the UK’s most innovative and exciting family... more » Owner description: Gold Award Winners for Tourism Excellence in SW England, The BIG Sheep is firmly established as one of the UK’s most innovative and exciting family attractions providing wacky and unique entertainment for all the family. Hilarious and entertaining shows include the World Famous sheep racing, complete with woolly jockeys, Horse Whispering, Dog and Duck Trials. Shepherds with a wicked sense of humor will have you laughing out loud as you are introduced to 10 different breeds of sheep who will strut their stuff live on stage to music!Children AND adults can burn off excess energy and play safely on a great selection of slides and imaginative soft play climbing areas, tumble towers, mazes and obstacles in our MASSIVE indoor playarea.There are loads of fun packed outdoor activities too. For the adrenaline thrill seekers there are bookable sessions at the Adventure Centre adjacent to the park for Climbing, Low Ropes, Water Zorbing and Mountain Boarding and competitive families can battle it out using state of the art eye-safe laser guns at Battlefield Live Outdoor Combat Zone. You can also enjoy Farm Safari rides, magical lakeside train rides, pony rides, twister chair-o-planes rides, free beer tasting, outside jumping pillows, family splash zone and a chance to feed the baby lambs are just some of the treats in store. During the winter there is a toboggan and ice skating rink too.After an exhilarating day out, browse in our Sheepy Shop and Farm Shop and find local Westcountry products before relaxing with a delicious home made scones and a great big dollop of Devonshire clotted cream. « less
Useful Information: Activities for young children, Activities for older children, Bathroom facilities, Stairs / lift, Wheelchair access
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157 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    91
    35
    9
    14
    8
Date Rating
Sandown, United Kingdom
1 review
“poor value for money”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 May 2012 NEW

found this very expensive as you then have to pay seperately for things once inside, that is fine if the entrance fee is very low but this was not. Weather was terrible in the end so everyone went in the barn and queued to see Peppa Pig and it was 'time up' for Peppa's turn so they told everyone in... More

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Barnstaple, United Kingdom
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
“Brilliant!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 May 2012 NEW

I have been to The Big Sheep may times and I shall continue to do so. The staff and engaging and friendly. The attractions are great. The food is brilliant and the facilities are clean. The gift shop is brilliant also. Love it!

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London
Contributor
19 reviews 19 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
“Excellent value for money, we're not suprised it won a gold award!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 May 2012

We went to The Big Sheep and enjoyed the whole experience. It was excellent value for money, and there was plenty to entertain the whole family. The staff pitched the performances at the right level and had a great sense of humour, they clearly love their jobs! Most of the events are outside and they were well laid out. There... More

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Bristol
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Overpriced and disappointing”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 May 2012

Our family recently visited THE BIG SHEEP whilst on holiday in Devon. We had seen other people’s pictures and recommendations on Facebook and were looking forward to a family day out. (We had not read reviews on Tripadvisor beforehand much to my regret). Our main complaint is the overpriced entry fee for both adults and children, considering the lack of... More

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Claire Payne, Manager at The Big Sheep, responded to this review
21 May 2012

Hello to you, Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed review. We've spent the last hour reading and discussing your concerns and on Wednesday we will discuss what changes and improvements we can make at our Management meeting. We are hugely upset that you did not enjoy your day out with us. Our customers... More

Camborne, United Kingdom
2 reviews
“Wouldn't go again”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 May 2012

Not very well laid out and felt that it was a bit expensive for what it was. Had to pay extra for certain things and not a lot to do if the weather is wet.

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Claire Payne, Manager at The Big Sheep, responded to this review
21 May 2012

Hi Abby E, We're very sorry you did not enjoy your day out with us. We realise that we cannot turn back the clock, but wonder if you would take a couple minutes to call us so we can find out more about the improvements we can make. Living in Devon which is known for temperamental weather, we have worked... More

Northampton
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
“Great fun & very friendly”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 May 2012 via mobile

Fabulous time with the family. Animals all well presented and close to touch and feed. Play area for kids is great, sections for the younger ones and sections for older ones, just sit back and watch them play. A great enjoyable day!

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Claire Payne, Manager at The Big Sheep, responded to this review
21 May 2012

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. We've really pleased you enjoyed your day out with us. I'm happy that you got some rest time whislt the children went off playing on the indoor play equipment. When the playground was built we wanted it to be safe secure area where you can relax whilst the children run wild.... More

Southam, United Kingdom
2 reviews
“Amazing”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 May 2012

brilliant day out, good value for money. Just as I remembered from when I was a kiddie. Food was very good value for money too!!

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Claire Payne, Manager at The Big Sheep, responded to this review
21 May 2012

Hi there, Thank you for writing a review. We're delighted that you enjoyed your recent visit to our park. It makes us smile that you visited as a child and have visited again as an adult. We hope it helped you recapture your youth and give you great childhood memories. :-) We hope to see you again soon! Best Regards... More

1 review
“Great day out”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 May 2012 via mobile

We loved our day at the big sheep. We were so impressed by the friendly staff and how clean it was. So much to do, the children in our party (all aged 3 and under) had a great time. They loved the tractor ride and we all loved the bouncing pillows! Would recommend to anyone with small children. We visited... More

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Claire Payne, Manager at The Big Sheep, responded to this review
14 May 2012

Thanks so much for your review. We're really pleased you had a great day out and will be looking to return to us for another special visit. I love the bouncy pillows too - we added them a few years ago and they've been so popular with all ages - we hope you enjoyed all the animal shows and rides... More

Barnstaple, United Kingdom
1 review
“Enjoyed the visit”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 May 2012

We visited The Big Sheep last Thursday (3rd May) to celebrate our little boy's 2nd birthday and although the weather was showery it didn't spoil the day. There was plenty to see and do indoors as well as outdoors. We advised the park of our son's birthday in advance so they made a real fuss of him. We enjoyed watching... More

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Claire Payne, Manager at The Big Sheep, responded to this review
14 May 2012

Hi there, Many thanks for taking the time to post a review about your recent day out with us. We were so pleased when you contacted us before your visit so that we knew it was your son's 2nd birthday. We always like the opportunity to make days out for birthday boys and girls extra special. We hope you enjoyed... More

Barnstaple
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Childrens birthday party”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 May 2012
1
person found this review helpful

We initially congregated in the cafe to, the supervisor made herself known to us and gave the kids two large jugs of juice for them to have when needed. By now all the children had gone the older ones on the terrifying "Death Slide" and the younger ones on the smaller slides and ball pit. We adults had the first... More

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Claire Payne, Manager at The Big Sheep, responded to this review
14 May 2012

Many thanks for taking the time to write a review following your recent birthday party at our attraction. We're over the moon that you enjoyed your party and managed to use a variety of attractions on your day out. We like to provide great food, so it made me smile reading that the children thought the burgers were the biggest... More

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