Farmer Ted's Adventure Farm
Built precisely for the under-9s: animal encounters, giant jumping pillows, tractor rides and a big indoor play barn that rescues wet days. Older siblings will tolerate it; little ones adore it.
Natterjack Alpacas
Ormskirk, Lancashire
Natterjack sits off High Lane in the flat country between Burscough and Newburgh. There is no gate to pay at and no crowd to join. You book a private hour for up to eight people and the alpacas are yours for the duration. The herd runs to more than 60 females, and the hour covers a short walk, hand feeding, cuddling and as much alpaca talk as you can absorb.
Pricing works by the session, which changes the maths. A base ticket of £60 covers three participants, then it is £20 for each extra adult and £15 for each extra child. That is not cheap for an hour. It is very good value for a birthday or a treat where the whole point is that nobody else is there.
Two rules matter. Anyone 15 or under needs a paying adult of 18 or over with them, and the ratio is one adult per two children. And the separate 90 minute Alpaca Trek, the one on the private farm track with a lead rope each, is over 16s only at £27.50 a head.
Know before you go
- The £60 base ticket covers three people, so a family of three pays £60 and a family of four pays £75 or £80 depending on whether the fourth is a child. Do the arithmetic before you compare it with a farm park.
- One adult can only bring two children. Two adults and four children is fine, one adult and three is not.
Worth knowing: Anyone 15 or under needs a paying adult of 18 or over, minimum one adult per two children.
Seasonal: Paddocks in summer, farm track in winter. Check before travelling.
Looking for more farms & animals near Ormskirk?
Also in Ormskirk
Beacon Country Park
Over 300 acres of woodland, meadow and proper hills on the slopes of Ashurst Beacon, with inclusive play areas and a cafe by the car park. Free in, free parking, and enough path network to tire out anyone.
Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve
Ninety five per cent of the paths take a buggy or a wheelchair, which is rare for a nature reserve. Old sand quarry lakes outside Rufford, run by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, with six hides and a viewing platform.