Oldham, Greater Manchester
Lancaster Park is a family-run farm in Chadderton, directly opposite Mills Hill station, and it feels like the farms most of us went to as children. Small-animal petting runs 10 till 12 and 1 till 3: rabbits, guinea pigs and, for the brave, fancy rats. Out on the nature walk you can feed the miniature donkeys, ponies, alpacas, chickens and peacocks, meet the sheep and pygmy goats, and there is a horse with a moustache called Mr Moustachio.
Entry is £8.50 each and under ones are free, but it is cash only, including for the extras: £2 a bag of animal feed, £2 for the Caterpillar barrel ride and £1 each for the digger corner, the pirate shooting gallery and the rooster rally. The giant tortoise gets a bath on Wednesdays and Saturdays and the small one on Sundays, which small children treat as a major event.
Opening is seasonal and flexible: every day in the school holidays, weekends (and sometimes Fridays) in term time, 9.30 to 4. There is a free car park, or come by train and step straight across the road.
What it costs: Admission £8.50 per adult and per child, babies under 12 months free. Optional extras: animal feed £2 a bag, Caterpillar ride £2, pirate shooting gallery, digger corner and rooster rally £1 each. Cash only on site. Special events (such as Halloween) are priced separately and booked online.
The farm's Halloween takeover: a giant pumpkin patch, Halloween displays, a wizard school show, a disco and a fancy dress competition, on top of the usual animal feeding and petting. Unlike normal days, this one is booked online.
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