We recently visited Tatton Park Farm, part of the wider Tatton Park estate, and it was a day filled with fun, learning, and a little bit of nostalgia haven’t not been myself since I was a child. With our Totally Tatton ticket in hand, which gives access to various parts of the estate including the farm, mansion, and gardens, we were excited to spend the day exploring this traditional farm. Tatton Park offers a lot to see and is probably our favourite National Trust property (for young families there is so much to do), and the farm was high on our list.
We decided to take the scenic route to the farm, walking down a long lane from the car park. While it was a peaceful and pleasant walk, especially on a nice day, it is a bit of a trek.
If you’re with young children or just prefer a more leisurely approach, there’s the option of paying a fee to board the train, which will take you straight to the farm entrance, they even have a trailer on the back of the train for prams!
Tatton Park Farm is a unique mix of a working farm and a child friendly museum. It feels like a step back in time as you wander around the various barns, stables, and outbuildings. Many of the buildings are set up to showcase what life was like in the past for both the people and animals who worked and lived on the farm. There are old tools and machinery on display as well as examples of what a house looked like at the time internally and various signs and plaques provide interesting information about the history of farming in the region.
Our favourite part of the visit was meeting the goats. As soon as we entered the area where the goats were kept, our little girl got so excited. The staff encouraged us to pet and interact with them, which we all thoroughly enjoyed. These goats, in particular, were very friendly and seemed to love the attention. We even got to meet some of Tatton’s royal goats, a rare and special breed with a long heritage. They’re quite famous at Tatton, and it was fascinating to hear about their royal connections and history. The kids in our group were thrilled, and I have to admit, the adults were just as captivated!
They also have 4 beautiful shire horses, which were unexpected and quite magnificent to see!
Aside from the animals, one of the unexpected highlights of the day was the maze. It’s a huge feature at the farm, and we all gave it a go. At first glance, we thought it might be a fun and quick activity, but it turned out to be much more of a challenge than expected! The maze is well-designed and takes you through a network of paths, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. It’s easy to lose track of time while you’re inside, and the thrill of trying to find the way out was great for both kids and adults. I must admit that we did get lost and whilst this was all part of the fun… I did have a moment where I wondered if we would be stuck in there all day.
I would say unless the weather is glorious and you can stop for a picnic it’s a farm that’s great to explore for a morning or afternoon but probably a stretch for a full day. Our Totally Tatton ticket allowed us to explore not only the farm but other parts of the estate as well, making it great value for money and meant we could spend the full day on the estate. We love the Tatton Park playground too.
From petting the adorable goats to getting lost in the impressive maze, we had a memorable day, and we’ll definitely be returning soon.
