Walby Farm Park
Walby Farm Park
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
About
Looking for things to do or places to visit in the Lake District & Cumbria? For children’s days out in the Lake District & Cumbria, Hadrian’s Wall or South-West Scotland Walby Farm Park has it all! Enjoy a family day out at Walby Farm Park! Fun for all the family come rain or shine! Walby Farm Park, just 4 miles from Carlisle and the M6 motorway (J44), is a great day out for the whole family. Exciting outdoor play areas, lots of animal friends, Cumbria’s largest Indoor Adventure Play area and brand new “Milecastle 62” our undercover play area, there really is something for everyone! Families, Schools, Groups and Birthday Parties can ‘Meet the Animals’, take a stroll along the Tractor & Trailer Ride (seasonal attraction) or just relax in The Cowshed Cafe, open daily serving delicious hot and cold home-cooked food. The Gift Shed stocks gorgeous gifts for girls and boys too! PLEASE NOTE that our attractions will vary due to seasonal events, nature, weather and ground conditions.
Duration: More than 3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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- CM-2016Majorca, Spain505 contributionsGreat DayI brought my granddaughter to the park in September she loved it, well worth the money. So much to do all day long. We are booked for the pumpkin event in October. Honestly worth a visit here, would highly recommend.Thank you so much for your lovely review! 🌟 We're delighted to hear that your granddaughter had a wonderful time during your visit in September, and we can't wait to welcome you both back for our Pumpkin Event in October. We're committed to providing a memorable and fun experience for all our visitors, and it's heartwarming to receive your recommendation. See you soon for more great adventures at Walby Farm Park! 😊🎃🌻Written 17 October 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited October 2023Travelled with familyWritten 15 October 2023
- SusanCleggHapton, United Kingdom22 contributionsGood play facilities for children of all agesWe visited with an 11 year old, a 3 year old and a 17 month old and there was something here for them all. The pumpkin picking was enjoyed by us all and we especially appreciated being able to carve them onsite rather than have to do it back at our holiday accommodation. The indoor play areas are fantastic and provide plenty of entertainment should it rain. There is also plenty to entertain the children outside. They have a few animals in a barn which the children enjoyed feeding. There was a very busy cafe but we took our own food and seating was available for us to eat at. Our car needed an urgent repair following a long journey to our holiday accommodation so it had to go into the local garage, which meant we couldn’t visit on the day we had booked our tickets. I rang to ask if we could go the following day and was very disappointed to have to pay an additional £12 (£2 per person) to be able to do this. We had already paid over £80 for our tickets so this additional cost put it at just under £100. When tickets are so expensive I would have appreciated being able to visit a day later, without charge.Thank you very much for your 5***** review, great indeed to hear that you all enjoyed our Pumpkin Picking experience here on the farm, the farm team are very proud indeed of their home-grown pumpkins! Also very glad you enjoyed leaving the mess with us whilst carving the pumpkins here, would be great to see some photos! Unfortunately our booking system doesn’t allow visitors to move their own bookings and so we do have to do this ourselves for you, when it’s required, as you can imagine on some days this can involve a huge amount of time and flexibility, hence we do unfortunately need to charge for this service. It sounds very unfortunate that your car needed an urgent repair, we very much hope that the necessary car repairs were completed locally and that you could safely enjoy the long journey home. We hope you enjoyed your Cumbrian trip and that you will return, we’re very fortunate to live in such an amazing place and always enjoy hosting holiday-makers to make some more of those family trip memories we all cherish! Thank you again. With best wishes, Team WalbyWritten 29 October 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited October 2023Travelled with familyWritten 28 October 2023
- FarAway351419792991 contributionAlice the horseBeen many times and kids always enjoy it. Only negative is the 10 year old clydesdale horse looked tired unhappy and just wanted to lay down. I thought this on our previous visit and was still standing in the same place as previous visits. Looks like she's trained to stand still from opening time to closing time. He kept lifting legs up to shift his weight from leg to leg and they were trembling. Better if the kids seen her in the large paddocksHello, and as we can see this is your first review, welcome to TripAdvisor. Thank you for reviewing us, we’re happy to hear that you feel kids always enjoy visiting us too. We have to say that we’re very concerned though to read what you have to say about Lady Alice, our Cumbrian born and bred Clydesdale mare who joined us in April 2014. The family here first farmed here with Clydesdale horses in 1928! Please do have a look at our Facebook page (TripAdvisor doesn’t post videos for us) and you will see videos and photographs over the last 10 years of our pedigree Clydesdale mare – “Eden Lady Alice”, out in the fields. We’ve posted a video taken by our Livestock & Duty Manager this evening when the horses, ponies and donkeys were turned out in to a new field – their usual field has become pretty wet under foot. Heavy horses, such as Lady Alice, in particular are prone to illnesses and infections in wet, muddy ground and standing in mud all day would cause Lady Alice significant problems. Mud fever can affect most horses and ponies during winter and early spring, resulting in painful sores and scabs and sometimes lameness. So, as a result at times as the ground becomes waterlogged we have to keep horses inside for their welfare – the weather and ground conditions haven’t forced us to that point yet – we keep our horses, donkeys and ponies inside at night when that happens, letting them out in to the fields again as soon as possible for their benefit. The smaller ponies and donkeys can have too much grass high in sugar in the daytime which can make them them ill with laminitis. We’re not sure if you saw the information sign in the Animal Barn explaining that as much as possible our horses, ponies & donkeys are out grazing in the fields overnight. Most animals (and humans!) like some routine - you may have pets that choose the same places to lie down or sit and maybe you’ve noticed people often choosing the same seats on a bus or a train or in a park to sit. We feel we absolutely need to make it clear that at no point have we attempted to ‘train’ Alice to stand still during opening hours! She chooses to stand where she chooses – often sleeping standing up during the day, although at night, either inside or out in the field she usually takes the weight off her feet and lies down (Alice was recently weighed when undergoing a necessary veterinary procedure and she weighs over 800kg!). We have regular farrier visits to ensure her feet are well looked after and in good condition as well as regular dentistry and veterinary visits / animal welfare inspections. Our Livestock Team are always happy to answer any questions our visitors have, please do ask us on your next visit. Our dedicated Livestock Team look after our animals 365 days a year and will always do their best for the animals in their care. If you don’t feel you have had your questions answered here please do email us – info@walbyfarmpark.co.uk and we will be very happy to respond to any queries you have! Thank you, Team WalbyWritten 7 November 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited November 2023Travelled with familyWritten 4 November 2023
- Natalie C1 contributionWalby is Ho ho ho Amazing!!!Blown away by the Christmas at the Farm!! Very well organised , value for money the attention to detail was exceptional. Well and truly got the festive tingles now. The staff went above and beyond to help. I had lost my son's teddy and nothing was too much trouble for them. Something for a large age range of kids which makes it perfect for families with varying age siblings. We went with a age range of 1 Year up to 9 years and they all have a fabulous time. A full day out with a teddy, quality present and a decorated ginger bread man. ...it was value for money. Highly recommend. Thank you Walby xxThank you so much for your incredible review! We're thrilled to hear that you and your family had a wonderful time experiencing Christmas at the Farm. It's fantastic to know that our efforts to create a magical and inclusive experience for families of all ages were well received. We're delighted that you found our event well-organized and value for money. Our team is dedicated to ensuring every visitor has an unforgettable time, and we're glad we could assist when you misplaced your son's teddy. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you all back for more festive fun in the future! Warm regards, Team WalbyWritten 11 December 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited December 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 9 December 2023
- HelenEHam11 contributionsWonderful Christmas Experience!Being local, we enjoy a trip to Walby 2-3 times per year but this was our first time at the Santa Experience so we didn't know what to expect. Wow we were impressed! The number of activities there were and the detail of the decor as you made your way to meet Santa was really special. Mum and Dad appreciated the mulled wine (even at 11am!) and we all loved the marshmallows. Santa was lovely and traditional and took time with every child. We especially appreciated Chilly the Snowman spotting my daughter's birthday badge and singing happy birthday accompanied by his kazoo! My daughter had a wonderful day and can't stop cuddling the unicorn Teddy she made in the Teddy Tastic workshop. Thank you Walby for a brilliant day and all the detail you have put into it.Wow Helen, thank you so much for your wonderful review, we're simply delighted that you were so impressed! Team Walby Christmas work so hard to ensure this is the event you look forward to, to help celebrate Christmas with your family. Thank you for your kind words, they are wonderful to hear. We hope to see you all again soon, don't forget that the best value way to visit us if you're local is with and Annual Pass! With best wishes, Team WalbyWritten 12 February 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited December 2023Travelled with familyWritten 21 December 2023
- Adventurerfamily18Cumbria, United Kingdom39 contributionsLovely family day outWe love visiting Walby Farm Park as a family, there is so much to do to keep our little ones busy and entertained. Plenty of indoor and outdoor activities and farm animals to see. My oldest child loves the indoor slides and sandpits and my youngest child loves the soft play areas and petting zoo. We purchased a couple of bags of animal feed and enjoyed feeding the goats and llamas. We also seen a fun and entertaining magician, seen twin lambs being born, groomed a beautiful little pony and watched ferrets have a race! We purchased hot drinks and cakes and the staff were friendly and efficient. The gift shop is very good too. We will be going back to the farm soon for the Easter egg hunt and then again for Father Christmas at the farm!Thank you to you and your family for a super 5***** review of your lovely family day out! Its fabulous to hear that there was so much to do to keep your little ones busy and entertained! So pleased you enjoyed feeding the animals and also our visiting Stu di Doo show too! Team Walby were delighted to hear your kind words which we shared at our Team meeting this morning, thank you and we very much look forward to seeing you for our Easter Eggs-travaganza and of course, our very own Father Christmas on the Farm! We look forward to seeing you soon. With best wishes, Team WalbyWritten 15 February 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited February 2024Travelled with familyWritten 14 February 2024
- ritaGrendon, United Kingdom111 contributionsFamily Easter SundayA great day out with young kids. So many different activity areas for them. Very well maintained. Kids were really having great fun searching for the Easter eggs. Will definitely go back. Food was also good. From panini, to quiche, lasagne and steak pie. Kids had the kids boxes with sandwiches, crisps, crudités, juice and cheese.We are so happy that you had a great day out for your Family Easter Sunday! Thank you for taking the time to review us, the team were delighted when we shared this with them. So pleased that you enjoyed good food and we look forward to seeing you again soon! Thank you again for your 5***** review. With best wishes, Team WalbyWritten 8 April 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited March 2024Travelled with familyWritten 31 March 2024
- MelBuchanEdinburgh, United Kingdom44 contributionsNice family day outWe visited as a group of 9 during the Easter school holidays. Great little set up and brilliant example of farm diversification. The staff were fab, lots of them young but all working hard. Cafe was great with a good menu and plenty of choice, we were served quickly despite arriving at lunchtime and it being quite busy. It was fabulous to have brilliant indoor play options as well as outdoor (although the mud was really intense, I know the wet weather can’t be helped but some areas were not passable even with wellies on) and lots of animals to see and interact with. We felt the entry price was fair for what was included which covered decorating an Easter lolly, arts and crafts and an Easter egg hunt. Gift shop (of course on route out!) was nice too with good selection of bits to entice the kids!Thank you Mel for your review - we especially love your comments about our team - Team Walby loved hearing your review at our Team meeting - it means so much, thank you! We are so sorry about the ground conditions - it has been really challenging with the Met Office reporting more rain than at any time since records began in 1836 apparently! That combined with an early Easter has made it tough in the outside areas, thank you for bearing with us. Thank you, a great review which covers everything, thank you for the time and thought that goes in to it. Hope to see you all again soon. With best wishes, Team WalbyWritten 8 April 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited April 2024Travelled with familyWritten 5 April 2024
- CM-2016Majorca, Spain505 contributionsAnother brilliant day outWe visited here today, I have to say we had another brilliant visit. As there were 6 of us, we brought a picnic and sat outside in the covered seats provided. We bought drinks etc and they are priced as you would pay anywhere else. It is clear to see how well the staff look after the animals there. I think for what you get at Walby, the entry price is fair. We have been coming here years and love it.Thank you so much for your brilliant review, 5***** is fab, thank you! Look forward to seeing you again soon. With best wishes, Team WalbyWritten 20 May 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited April 2024Travelled with familyWritten 11 April 2024
- Shrader19 contributionsFantastic place even for adultsMy wife and I visited from the US on our honeymoon trip passing through. She wanted to see some baby lambs. There were lots of other friendly animals, like the silly goats and alpacas. We had hoped to be able to feed or touch the lambs but they were kept separately away from feeding for obvious reasons. Very helpful and friendly staff, easy parking, easy to find, and would definitely recommend, even without kids. We went early and it wasn’t crowded, plenty of time with the furry ones. Buy lots of food so the animals will follow you around more.Wow, thank you, we wish we had known! Congratulations on your wedding and do visit us again if you're ever back in Cumbria! Have a great trip and safe travels. With best wishes, Team WalbyWritten 20 May 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited May 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 9 May 2024
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4.5
599 reviews
Excellent
389
Very good
128
Average
44
Poor
23
Terrible
15
melissa w
4 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
We visited this place on our way up to Scotland. From what was advertised on the website I thought it was worth a visit and pre-booked tickets. When we arrived there was non-stop banging as they were building a new attraction. Many of the things advertised were not on or not usable due to the weather so we only had the animals and indoor play area to use. I felt compared to other places this was very poor. The only animal you could feed were the llamas. Although it’s advertised ‘meet the rabbits’ all hey did was put a rabbit on a table and leave it there for all the children to jump on. My toddler was one of the smaller children so had to wait until the older children were done. I would of expected some organisation and some education about the animals but there was nothing. All the other animals had signs saying do not feed. Since our drive up was 3 hours we had missed the pony grooming although we didn’t know until we arrived as we were given a timetable when we got there.
My main grievance is the ‘award winning indoor play area’ it’s very dated. There are 3 large slides, only 1 is suitable for smaller children and this is the only one that needs a mat to use. The stairs are very steep with no hand rail for children so for them to have to drag a mat up too is ridiculous and not something anywhere else we’ve been to has done. The area for parents is about 3 sofas and loads of uncomfortable wooden picnic benches. When charging nearly full price for parents you would thing they would at least provide some comfy seating. Not that we could even sit me and my husband had to take turns making sure our child was safe and forever up and down the stairs with a mat.
I have emailed them and told them our feelings and ask for a refund since we were there less than an hour. They have declined and even after know we are not local offered a free day to go again????
Maybe they are preying on the fact that at this time of year many of the surrounding farms and play area are shut but I would never recommend taking children here. The play area is not safe and they have a very limited amount of animals. Charging full price for adults is just a joke but I did know this before I booked. Maybe in the summer it would be better but nearly £30 for a old unsafe soft pay area and to feed a llama is unacceptable.
My main grievance is the ‘award winning indoor play area’ it’s very dated. There are 3 large slides, only 1 is suitable for smaller children and this is the only one that needs a mat to use. The stairs are very steep with no hand rail for children so for them to have to drag a mat up too is ridiculous and not something anywhere else we’ve been to has done. The area for parents is about 3 sofas and loads of uncomfortable wooden picnic benches. When charging nearly full price for parents you would thing they would at least provide some comfy seating. Not that we could even sit me and my husband had to take turns making sure our child was safe and forever up and down the stairs with a mat.
I have emailed them and told them our feelings and ask for a refund since we were there less than an hour. They have declined and even after know we are not local offered a free day to go again????
Maybe they are preying on the fact that at this time of year many of the surrounding farms and play area are shut but I would never recommend taking children here. The play area is not safe and they have a very limited amount of animals. Charging full price for adults is just a joke but I did know this before I booked. Maybe in the summer it would be better but nearly £30 for a old unsafe soft pay area and to feed a llama is unacceptable.
Written 26 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Melissa,
Welcome to TripAdvisor!
Thank you for reviewing us, although we’re clearly very, very disappointed at your review, especially after our earlier correspondence. As we have already said, on more than one occasion, we are very sorry that we didn’t measure up to your expectations on this occasion.
We have been open almost 12 years now and have apologised for many mistakes that we have made over the years, we all make mistakes and we always try to do our best to put them right. We welcome and value our visitors’ feedback as this can only help us improve. We’ve also won many Customer Service Excellence awards and provide a visitor attraction as much as possible, rain or shine – a huge challenge in February 2020 – the wettest February on record and we’re writing this in our 4th storm of the month!
Your initial complaint was one that we’ve never heard before, we’re sorry that you didn’t feel able to sit and have a conversation as you were forever having to check your child was safe.
We are a farm park, not a ‘soft play area’ but to provide undercover heated space for bad weather we do have an Under 2s toddler area, an Under 5s area and Cumbria’s largest indoor adventure play area – for adults too, all regularly inspected by ROSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents).
Under no circumstance have children ever jumped on rabbits in our care! Our Meet the Animals activities are supervised by our members of our Animal Barn team.
We’re very pleased that you were able to book discounted tickets the day before your visit, the weather forecast was, we believe available then. As you’ll see from a later review of the same week, it was a quiet term-time day, with every activity available to all, we even put on an extra Pony Grooming Session for some visitors who had missed the one in the morning and the one in the afternoon. The Daily Farm Activities and the leaflet are available on our website, all our outside areas were open and in use by visitors when it wasn’t raining. You will have seen that we’re making a huge investment in an outdoor covered play area – none of our Team were aware that our electricians were making anyone noise noticeable to anyone inside, we also provided free Animal Feed as a gesture of goodwill for the inconvenience of having a longer walk to the Animal Barn. We very much hope to open our new attraction very soon, as we have offered you and your family tickets to return (you have stated that you would be returning to the area) we do hope that you take us up on that offer.
With our best wishes,
Neil, Katie & Team Walby
Written 29 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
MrsKirkham
Eastham, UK32 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
We visited on a sunny afternoon but following some rainfall, with our 3 and 1 year old. It is very expensive!!! The best part of £40 (£4 cheaper if booked online; adults are 50p cheaper than children). Given the age of our children, the youngest one in particular cannot use many of the facilities as she is just too small. Under 1s are free but at 1 Year she is the same cost as any other child. The only way we could make the best of it was to split the family up - would not normally do this but we were trying to get our money’s worth!! I am sure on a nice dry day a family with older children could spend more time here but for us we were well and truly done in 2 hours. Some of the areas were very muddy and wet making them unusable - again probably not an issue for steady older legs with wellies but not suitable for our little ones (wellies or not). It was a Saturday not midweek but I would still expect winter prices especially given that not all activities are on in the winter. It could also do with a bit of updating as it appears run down in places. Great concept and can see that it might be better when the kids are older but we basically paid £40 for an okay soft play.
Written 18 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello HKirkham1 and thank you for reviewing us, we’re just sorry that you seemed a bit disappointed, it’s difficult for any outdoor attraction to look as cheerful as it can in the summer during a wet January. Our indoor adventure play is for all age groups with all day entry, but you don’t mention our animals at all, so we do hope you made your way to the Animal Barn – today we have the following Daily Farm Activities :
Pony Grooming: 10.45, 1.30
Egg Collecting: 11.00, 2.00,
Meet the Rabbits: 11.15, 1.15, 2.15, 3.15, 4.00
Meet the Guinea Pigs: 11.15, 1.15, 2.15, 3.15, 4.00
Ferret Show: 11.30, 2.30
Hopefully, you could see the massive investment we currently are undergoing on site to provide even more undercover attractions, they should be perfect for your age group of children so please do visit us again when you’re in the area. A wet day is a wet day, whether summer or winter so we hope we’ll be able to tempt you with our new attraction, coming soon!
With our best wishes,
Neil, Katie & Team Walby
Written 21 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
CumbrianGirl
Carlisle, UK5 contributions
Jun 2022
Visited as a family (myself, husband, 7 year old and 19 month old).
To say I was shocked at the pricing was an understatement. £12.95 for a 19 month old child who could only go on the baby swing, the filthy soft play, and the tractor ride after I was initially told she couldn't go on it in the pushchair so had to wait until she woke up (she fell asleep as she was so bored). Why charge so much for adults just to walk around supervising their children? The only person who got value for money was my 7 year old daughter. You need to reduce the price for adults and make under 2's free of charge (as most places do).
I hate to say but all of the animals in the animal barn looked so depressed. Do they ever get to see daylight? The staff in the animal barn should interact more with the children. Don't just dump the guinea pigs and rabbits on a table, get them to tell the children all about them, how to look after them etc.
Don't even waste your money buying the animal feed, all you can feed are the goats.
I've been to much better places where the children can really interact with the animals and doesn't cost as much as this place charges.
This place is just an overpriced soft play centre with a few sad looking animals to look at. We won't be coming back in the near future.
To say I was shocked at the pricing was an understatement. £12.95 for a 19 month old child who could only go on the baby swing, the filthy soft play, and the tractor ride after I was initially told she couldn't go on it in the pushchair so had to wait until she woke up (she fell asleep as she was so bored). Why charge so much for adults just to walk around supervising their children? The only person who got value for money was my 7 year old daughter. You need to reduce the price for adults and make under 2's free of charge (as most places do).
I hate to say but all of the animals in the animal barn looked so depressed. Do they ever get to see daylight? The staff in the animal barn should interact more with the children. Don't just dump the guinea pigs and rabbits on a table, get them to tell the children all about them, how to look after them etc.
Don't even waste your money buying the animal feed, all you can feed are the goats.
I've been to much better places where the children can really interact with the animals and doesn't cost as much as this place charges.
This place is just an overpriced soft play centre with a few sad looking animals to look at. We won't be coming back in the near future.
Written 7 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Clair,
Thank you for getting in touch, we’re not sure why your review is only showing now but thank you for reviewing us, of course we are more than disappointed to read your review.
First of all we’re sorry that you had doubts about your visit before you came, it would be great to know why that was – we’d love to hear more if you’d like to get in touch – info@walbyfarmpark.co.uk
Our team on site are always on hand to hear any issues you have, please, if you do visit us again speak to one of our senior team who will be able to answer any concerns.
We have hundreds of animals at Walby Farm Park and they are appear in our Animal Barn at different times of the year. When you visited, it was kidding time – so many of our goats would be new mums and getting to know their babies. Farms naturally change with the seasons and so if you had visited earlier in the year for example, you would have met many of our ewes and their lambs.
We’re every pleased to hear that you felt your 7 year old daughter got value for money but very sorry top hear you wont be coming back in the near future. WE hope we can tempt you with some of the great seasonal events we hold!
Thank you again.
With best wishes,
Neil, Katie & Team Walby.
Written 21 March 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Abby E
1 contribution
Mar 2020 • Friends
Hate to be the bearer of bad news here. First of all, great area etc. Came in with my friend (both almost 20) and was first of all rudely asked if we were 17. No ‘please can I just ask what age you are’ just an abrupt question. From Scotland I thought this would be worth the visit (as animal care students too we would enjoy the animals). The husbandry of all the animals (few may I add) was awful. We were here for half an hour and that was it. Guinea pigs and rabbits in the same enclosure (asking for disease and fights) the rabbits were also fighting. Not worth the almost £10. The staff were rude, abrupt, and albeit unwelcoming, talk about needing some customer care lessons! The state that the large Clydesdale was being kept in was awful. Understandably it is winter but all animals were inside (all fields have adequate shelters outside). Stayed for 30 mins max. Not worth it one single bit.
Written 2 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear 802abbye,
Thank you for reviewing us again, following your identical Facebook review which we responded to.
We have also responded to your fellow student with whom you visited, we note that you both also joined TripAdvisor this week. To reiterate, our team members are always more than happy to be asked about their animal management procedures and their animals.
Our livestock enclosures are cleaned out every morning and every evening and to suggest otherwise without speaking to a member our team is simply wrong. Our Livestock Team follow and record-keep every day to standards around General Management, Layout of our site, Eating areas, Washing Facilities, Animal Contact, Training and staff facilities, Livestock Management – Large Animals (Farm), Small / Show Animal Management, Livestock and Small Animal Facilities, Handwashing Facilities, Zoonosis, Complaints Records, Cleaning Checklists, Pest Control, Risk Assessment, Medicine Usage and signage. We also follow up to date guidance around Zoo and Pet Licences and are regularly inspected by various bodies including local authorities, veterinary inspectors and KIWA. On 24 January we were last inspected and approved by the Animal Attraction Assurance Scheme (AAAS). We simply couldn’t operate without having full respect for our livestock and all of these authorities. As you would expect, we operate grassland management all year round for our livestock - for 350 ewes and their lambs, horses, donkeys, etc for their benefit. There is no benefit to turning a paddock into a quagmire for there to be no grass to graze for the spring, summer and autumn. We would expect this to be covered in educational courses at agricultural and animal care colleges throughout the world. Heavy horses, such as Lady Alice, in particular, are prone to illnesses and infections in wet, muddy ground and standing in mud all day would cause Lady Alice significant problems. Mud fever can affect most horses and ponies during winter and early spring, resulting in painful sores and scabs and sometimes lameness. As you say, sadly you visited us for less than 30 minutes, we’d love you to let us know your intention on visiting a family attraction, marketed at families with primary school age children (and their siblings). Whilst contact with animals is often the highlight or our visitor’s trip, very few visitors only visit the Animal Barn when visiting us as there is so much to do on site. We wish you had spoken to our team members who you clearly say you encountered during your visit. We are always willing to listen and engage with our visitors about our animals and the procedures and processes we must follow in animal management. Please do get in touch with us directly (email to info@walbyfarmpark.co.uk) and we can arrange to let you know more about the standards which must be adhered to for businesses involving in the visiting public and livestock/smaller animals. We’re sure it would help with your studies. It might also be worth noting that discounted tickets are always available online and can be bought up to midnight the day before if you were to visit us again.
With best wishes,
Neil, Katie & Team Walby
Written 17 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Raynor85
Barnsley, UK30 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
We had a fantastic time at Walby. We booked our time slot then 2 further time slots for the soft play and Roman fort. Our 2 year loved it! The time slots meant those areas in particular were quiet so very enjoyable. She loved the under 5’s area and had it pretty much to herself and giggled with delight at the big mat slide with daddy.
The Roman fort is brand new and again had a toddler area! It was so clean and had that new wood smell. I can’t believe how big it was!
The outdoor play areas were plentiful and we saw the play ground getting a clean whilst there. You are spoilt for choice with sand to play in, trampolines and farm vehicles based play equipment.
The animals all seemed happy. Our favourite was the llama which was happy to be fed.
To end our day we had a tractor ride with farmer Nick. This had social distancing measures in place on the tractor and hand gel throughout the park.
Overall great value for money and I’m enjoying the smaller numbers-makes trips so much more enjoyable.
The Roman fort is brand new and again had a toddler area! It was so clean and had that new wood smell. I can’t believe how big it was!
The outdoor play areas were plentiful and we saw the play ground getting a clean whilst there. You are spoilt for choice with sand to play in, trampolines and farm vehicles based play equipment.
The animals all seemed happy. Our favourite was the llama which was happy to be fed.
To end our day we had a tractor ride with farmer Nick. This had social distancing measures in place on the tractor and hand gel throughout the park.
Overall great value for money and I’m enjoying the smaller numbers-makes trips so much more enjoyable.
Written 21 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Raynor85 for your 5***** review, so pleased you enjoyed our brand new undercover play area 'Milecastle 62' Farmer Nick always loves to get a mention too. Look forward to seeing you again soon!
With best wishes,
Team Walby
Written 13 December 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jemma A
Greater London, UK39 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
An excellent day trip for all the family, surrounded by beautiful scenery. There is a vast range of activities to keep everyone entertained (with no age limit - the young at heart were welcome and encouraged to join in). The farm is located a 15 - 20 minute drive from the Scottish border for those looking for an activity on the way to/from Scotland.
We went with our children aged 6 - 10 years old and they spent a full 5 1/2 hours playing in the multiple indoor and outdoor play areas. Guided by the timetable at the entrance we
also enjoyed building a den and a bug hotel (time booked on entry), feeding the lambs and a tractor ride.
We had lunch at the cafe which was reasonably priced (especially the meal deal) and tasted good. The cafe have an online booking facility available (as well as the usual counter service) so you can book (with your table number) wherever works best (and you don't need to leave the kids to order if it's not convenient).
Lovely day out, would definitely recommend
We went with our children aged 6 - 10 years old and they spent a full 5 1/2 hours playing in the multiple indoor and outdoor play areas. Guided by the timetable at the entrance we
also enjoyed building a den and a bug hotel (time booked on entry), feeding the lambs and a tractor ride.
We had lunch at the cafe which was reasonably priced (especially the meal deal) and tasted good. The cafe have an online booking facility available (as well as the usual counter service) so you can book (with your table number) wherever works best (and you don't need to leave the kids to order if it's not convenient).
Lovely day out, would definitely recommend
Written 25 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your kind words about Walby Farm Park! We are so glad that you enjoyed your visit and appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with us. It means a lot to us to know that our guests had a great time during their visit.
Written 23 February 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
missjo1992
Carlisle, UK32 contributions
Mar 2020 • Family
We visited 5/3/20 and in the midst of the Corona virus chaos the premises was very clean. We observed staff cleaning down doors and tables and staff encouraging children to wash their hands regularly.
Staff in the animal barn were very friendly and helpful spent time talking to my children and going above and beyond.
All animals look well cared for and we have seen over several visits the horses and donkeys ect being cleaned out and fed and watered and enrichment toys provided. You can see the staff have a passion for animals and care for them to the highest standard.
This is the second annual pass we have had and they have made improvements to the premises and facilities year on year and we can’t wait for the new play area to be ready to play on.
Food has always been excellent and the staff more so.
Nothings too much and staff always have a smile and a friendly word to say.
Staff in the animal barn were very friendly and helpful spent time talking to my children and going above and beyond.
All animals look well cared for and we have seen over several visits the horses and donkeys ect being cleaned out and fed and watered and enrichment toys provided. You can see the staff have a passion for animals and care for them to the highest standard.
This is the second annual pass we have had and they have made improvements to the premises and facilities year on year and we can’t wait for the new play area to be ready to play on.
Food has always been excellent and the staff more so.
Nothings too much and staff always have a smile and a friendly word to say.
Written 5 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello missjo1992,
Thank you very much for your kind review, wonderful for the whole team to receive 5 stars, thank you!
It’s great to hear that you have visited us so regularly and yet have noticed the extra cleaning etc that we are doing in the light of the current times! It’s lovely too to hear that your visits have found all animals looking well and cared for, our Livestock Team do indeed have a passion for the animals in their care and do their utmost to ensure they look after our visitors, our animals and our colleagues, all year round!
We’re delighted that you have enjoyed your Annual Passes, they are a great way for us to be able to reward our local visitors and those who support us all year. It has been a testing time for our team and our visitors throughout the building of our new development, but we’re almost ready for the big reveal! If you’re on our mailing list and follow us on Facebook there will be more information in the coming weeks as work towards an opening date, very exciting for us all!
We hope to be developing our food offer too in the coming months, all feedback welcome, please do keep talking to us, it will only help us improve!
With best wishes,
Neil, Katie & Team Walby
Written 6 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
SusanClegg
Hapton, UK22 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
We visited with an 11 year old, a 3 year old and a 17 month old and there was something here for them all.
The pumpkin picking was enjoyed by us all and we especially appreciated being able to carve them onsite rather than have to do it back at our holiday accommodation.
The indoor play areas are fantastic and provide plenty of entertainment should it rain.
There is also plenty to entertain the children outside.
They have a few animals in a barn which the children enjoyed feeding.
There was a very busy cafe but we took our own food and seating was available for us to eat at.
Our car needed an urgent repair following a long journey to our holiday accommodation so it had to go into the local garage, which meant we couldn’t visit on the day we had booked our tickets. I rang to ask if we could go the following day and was very disappointed to have to pay an additional £12 (£2 per person) to be able to do this. We had already paid over £80 for our tickets so this additional cost put it at just under £100. When tickets are so expensive I would have appreciated being able to visit a day later, without charge.
The pumpkin picking was enjoyed by us all and we especially appreciated being able to carve them onsite rather than have to do it back at our holiday accommodation.
The indoor play areas are fantastic and provide plenty of entertainment should it rain.
There is also plenty to entertain the children outside.
They have a few animals in a barn which the children enjoyed feeding.
There was a very busy cafe but we took our own food and seating was available for us to eat at.
Our car needed an urgent repair following a long journey to our holiday accommodation so it had to go into the local garage, which meant we couldn’t visit on the day we had booked our tickets. I rang to ask if we could go the following day and was very disappointed to have to pay an additional £12 (£2 per person) to be able to do this. We had already paid over £80 for our tickets so this additional cost put it at just under £100. When tickets are so expensive I would have appreciated being able to visit a day later, without charge.
Written 28 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your 5***** review, great indeed to hear that you all enjoyed our Pumpkin Picking experience here on the farm, the farm team are very proud indeed of their home-grown pumpkins! Also very glad you enjoyed leaving the mess with us whilst carving the pumpkins here, would be great to see some photos!
Unfortunately our booking system doesn’t allow visitors to move their own bookings and so we do have to do this ourselves for you, when it’s required, as you can imagine on some days this can involve a huge amount of time and flexibility, hence we do unfortunately need to charge for this service. It sounds very unfortunate that your car needed an urgent repair, we very much hope that the necessary car repairs were completed locally and that you could safely enjoy the long journey home. We hope you enjoyed your Cumbrian trip and that you will return, we’re very fortunate to live in such an amazing place and always enjoy hosting holiday-makers to make some more of those family trip memories we all cherish!
Thank you again.
With best wishes,
Team Walby
Written 29 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
15Dee78
Doncaster, UK128 contributions
Dec 2021 • Family
.We visited a couple of years ago and didn’t intend to return due to how expensive this place is but we had promised our son soft play and the one in town which costs £7 was closed.
£35 for 2 adults and 1 child and we were in. Even for a farm this is pricey £12 a head is closer to zoo prices. I suppose if u get there early and the weather is decent y could make a day of it and get your moneys worth.
It’s basically a large soft play, decent but overpriced cafe, 4 trampolines, park, indoor park, small farm and mini golf. There may have been more but it was so muddy it was impossible to explore. I do feel there should be seasonal fees because if have the activities aren’t available how can the cost be justified?
Saying that my son enjoyed him self although the unmanned drop slide is an accident waiting to happen. Very scary watching 3 year olds wandering around near it. The system for ordering food is a shambles. Waited 30min to discover it had been sat on the side 20min and we hadn’t been notified.
If we come again we will come for longer and aim to get more out of it.
£35 for 2 adults and 1 child and we were in. Even for a farm this is pricey £12 a head is closer to zoo prices. I suppose if u get there early and the weather is decent y could make a day of it and get your moneys worth.
It’s basically a large soft play, decent but overpriced cafe, 4 trampolines, park, indoor park, small farm and mini golf. There may have been more but it was so muddy it was impossible to explore. I do feel there should be seasonal fees because if have the activities aren’t available how can the cost be justified?
Saying that my son enjoyed him self although the unmanned drop slide is an accident waiting to happen. Very scary watching 3 year olds wandering around near it. The system for ordering food is a shambles. Waited 30min to discover it had been sat on the side 20min and we hadn’t been notified.
If we come again we will come for longer and aim to get more out of it.
Written 1 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RobT
Workington, UK83 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
Online booking was simple. You picked a time to arrive and times for the castle and the other inside play area. We did the castle at 10.25 and the other area at 12:35 which meant both areas weren't too busy and in between played outside. We missed the areas being too busy and later on the inside areas were packed (still in covid guidance tho) the castle area is a great addition and loads of different routes for the children to explore and a small area for tots.
My daughter loved the trampoline, people weren't sticking to one person per trampoline but as long as it was the same family it's no problem. Barrow ride was fun for little ones. Sand area is great for all
Goat racing is entertaining
The tractor ride was very informative, fun and little bit bumpy as expected.
Food you have to scan a qr code unfortunately there Internet wasn't working so we went to the counter and they let us pay normally which was great. The service was brilliant as well was the food. Steak pie and chips yum
The kids bags are very generous.
Only thing that up set us that we went to the ice cream counter to be told we had to go to the other counter to order it from their even the we were right next to the ice cream. Just seemed like hard work to get a ice cream
The sunflower field was unreal. Didnt expect it to be so big.
The prices are expensive for adults and if you have a 1 year old you have to pay full child price.
All. In all we had a good day.
My daughter loved the trampoline, people weren't sticking to one person per trampoline but as long as it was the same family it's no problem. Barrow ride was fun for little ones. Sand area is great for all
Goat racing is entertaining
The tractor ride was very informative, fun and little bit bumpy as expected.
Food you have to scan a qr code unfortunately there Internet wasn't working so we went to the counter and they let us pay normally which was great. The service was brilliant as well was the food. Steak pie and chips yum
The kids bags are very generous.
Only thing that up set us that we went to the ice cream counter to be told we had to go to the other counter to order it from their even the we were right next to the ice cream. Just seemed like hard work to get a ice cream
The sunflower field was unreal. Didnt expect it to be so big.
The prices are expensive for adults and if you have a 1 year old you have to pay full child price.
All. In all we had a good day.
Written 27 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
As it’s a farm the answer is no
Written 12 August 2018
how far from centre of Carlisle, please
Written 1 August 2017
Hello Sue,
So sorry for the delayed response here - we're 3 to 4 miles from the centre of Carlisle, there is a bus to the nearest village (Crosby-on-Eden or Low Crosby) once a day but it would be about a mile walk along the road from there. If you'd like any more information please do ask.
Many thanks indeed for your enquiry.
With best wishes,
Katie
Written 8 August 2017
How far is the farm park from Brampton and how much is the entrance cost?
Written 3 March 2017
All questions have been answered above , but I will just add that it seems a lot to pay to get in but you can spend a whole day there it's great fun for kids
Written 4 March 2017
lisaxxx1991
Carlisle, United Kingdom
How do I get there using public transportation
Written 3 April 2015
Sorry. We actually drove there. Not sure on the public transportation. You might want to call them directly. Perhaps they can help you with that.
Written 4 April 2015
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