kidzdays
Illustration of Mrs Dowsons Farm Park

Mrs Dowsons is a family dairy farm at Clayton-le-Dale, just outside Blackburn on the Ribble Valley side, that turns its own milk into ice cream and opens as a farm park on weekends, school holidays and bank holidays. The day is built around hands-on talks and animal feeds, a new arrivals barn, and a milking parlour you can look round.

The indoor play barn is a natural-style space for 1 to 12 year olds, with wooden beams to balance on, a swing and a slide over sand and wood chip. It is included in admission, which matters on a wet Saturday. Food is from the Farm Grill and a pizza kitchen, and the ice cream is the reason most people remember the place.

Opening is 10 to 5 on open days, pre-booking is expected, and parking is free. The farm does not publish ticket prices outside its booking system. Seasonal events run through the year, with pumpkin picking in the autumn and a Christmas experience in the barns.

What it costs: Admission prices are only shown in the online booking system. Tickets must be pre-booked. Indoor play is included in general admission. Parking is free.

Know before you go

  • It is closed to the public on weekdays in term time, when the farm hosts schools. Last entry for tickets bought on the day is 2pm.
  • Christmas at the Farm is on sale for 2026: a trail through the barns with elves, singing reindeer, gingerbread decorating in Mrs Christmas' Kitchen and a group grotto, for 18 months to 12 years. The barns are not heated, so dress for outdoors.

Seasonal: Weekends, school and bank holidays. Check before travelling.

Looking for more days out in Clitheroe & Ribble Valley?

What visitors say

★★★★★ 4.5 across 1,592 Google reviews.

Read all 1,592 reviews on Google - filter by star rating there

Also in Clitheroe & Ribble Valley

Bowland Country Park - kidzdays illustration

Bowland Country Park

Clitheroe & Ribble Valley~1 hr
4.6(998)

Wild boar, deer and llamas in a Forest of Bowland valley, with animal feeding, a barrel train and river walks. Small, unslick and all the better for it.

Farm park entryAges 4-8
Clitheroe Castle - kidzdays illustration

Clitheroe Castle

Clitheroe & Ribble Valley~1 hr
4.4(656)

One of England's smallest Norman keeps on a rock above the town, with a labyrinth, sculpture trail and a museum that tells the Ribble Valley's story briskly. The grounds and the views cost nothing.

Grounds free; museum chargedAges 4-11
Brungerley Park & Sculpture Trail - kidzdays illustration

Brungerley Park & Sculpture Trail

Clitheroe & Ribble Valley~55 min
4.4(121)

Woodland, riverbank and an old quarry scattered with more than 20 sculptures, a mile from Clitheroe town centre. Turns an ordinary walk into a treasure hunt, and it costs nothing.

Free entryAges 3-11
Edisford Bridge - kidzdays illustration

Edisford Bridge

Clitheroe & Ribble Valley~0 min
4.5(1,257)

The Ribble runs shallow over shingle on the town side of the bridge, which is why half of Clitheroe turns up on a warm Sunday. Picnic space, a miniature railway at weekends, free to use.

Free, pay and display parkingPlay area closed for rebuilding until Sept 2026Ages 1-11
Leaping Lizards Play Centre - kidzdays illustration

Leaping Lizards Play Centre

Clitheroe & Ribble Valley~55 min
4.5(173)

Clitheroe's soft play: a two-storey frame, a sports pitch and a 0 to 3 zone, in two hour booked sessions for £7 a child. Friday after school is £2.50.

£7 a child with an adult freeIndoorsAges 0-11

What’s on near you, every Friday

One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.