Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Leahy's Open Farm, Co. Cork | Review ♥

One of the things I've decided to do from now on is to visit and discover new places for my boys and I. I spend the majority of my time alone with them and sick of waiting for another adult to be off work before we can have a proper day out, I've decided to explore the country and it's attractions with the boys all by ourselves.

I'll be sharing our adventures here on the blog and my honest thoughts on the places we've visited.

Yesterday we had our first day out to a new place - Leahy's Open Farm in Dungourney, Co. Cork. I decided to start with somewhere that wasn't too far away from home or out of the county, but one that was far enough away to make us feel like we really did get to explore somewhere new.

I used to go to Leahy's Open Farm as a child myself and I was looking forward to seeing how the place had changed over the years, but it hadn't, at all. This really gave me a sense of nostalgia - the place even had the same scent it had years ago, which I think is from all the old objects they have on display there.

That display of all things olden days was our first stop when we visited the farm. It's actually done quite nicely, with little homes and shops set up along the way for you to walk into and around. I liked the vintage prams and Tyler took a shine to the old Hoovermatic washing machine - if he could have taken it home he would have!

It was a gorgeously sunny summers day so I really wanted to spend as much time outside as we possibly could. We walked passed the crannóg area and the made our way to the wooden obstacle course type play area situated by the camel (who I think was named Humphrey) and the llamas. Tyler had great fun on this while I showed Beau the animals.

We then made our way to a large climbing frame area, but it was thronged with older kids and this put Tyler off - it did look like a lot of fun though!

We walked through the fairy fort area, which was gorgeous covered in blossoming flowers and to the maze, which again Tyler wasn't too interested in, but it was done really well.

His favourite area was the big slide, which he was free to go up and down as he pleased as it really wasn't that busy at all. He had an absolute ball on this slide, whilst Beau and I sat in the sunshine watching him.

Tyler then spotted the barrel ride - barrels on wheels pulled along by a quad bike, sounds simple but all the kids absolutely loved it, including Tyler, in fact, he asked to go on it again but I spotted a member of staff telling some kids that if they had already had a go they weren't to go on again, so I didn't ask if he could have another turn. On entry to the farm you're given a ticket stub to give you a go on the barrel ride and I think on busy days that it's fair enough that everyone gets one go.

After that we stopped for an ice-cream, which was reasonably priced at €1 for 1 scoop and €2 for two scoops, which was quite generous in size. The boys loved them!

It was petting time inside the sheds so we went in to see the animals. There were rabbits, guinea pigs, mice and a snake on display, all of which the kids could interact with. Tyler loved the rabbits and even asked if we could have one for home. It was very sweet.

We then made our way to the playground at the front of the farm - Tyler having taken a shine to the little wooden playhouse in there and I was glad to go there as I wanted to let Beau have a go in the baby swing.

To be honest, there's not a lot for a non-walking one year old to do on the farm, which I expected. Beau was only able to go on the baby swings and on the larger, round, flat swing with Tyler later on in the day. I also let him play in the hand digger area with Tyler as I didn't mind him getting dirty, but other than that he was in his buggy or in my arms. Nevertheless, he seemed to enjoy the day.

We had lunch on the farm, sitting in the inside dining room where the indoor playbarn is so that the kids could play. I was glad that there was a little padded ball pit there for Beau to play in too and this kept him happy whilst Tyler played in the bigger area.

I wasn't too impressed with the food really - I ordered the burger and chips and sausage and chips for the boys, but on reflection I wish I had gotten the scone instead or brought our own lunches - something to remember in future and at €16.50 for the two meals and two drinks it was a shame to not really like the food.

After lunch I let Tyler have another few gos on the big slide while Beau played with the hand diggers and dirt. There are also proper diggers that you can have a go on too for €2, but there were queues for them all day and even though Tyler did ask to go on them he wasn't too disappointed that he didn't get a chance.

My favourite part of the day was seeing Tyler have his first ever ride on a pony. The look of joy and the big smile on his face from the moment he got on the pony to the moment he got off is something that will stay with me forever. It was such a lovely experience for him and for me to witness and it was so worth the €1. Tyler was so pleased that the boy who took him around on the pony talked to him too. The staff at the farm are all very friendly and welcoming, which is always lovely to see.

After a go on the round, flat swing (which was lulling the boys to sleep!) and another visit to the playground with the playhouse, it was time to go home.

The boys were happy and exhausted from their day out and slept all the way home.

Our highlights from our day were -
The big slide
The pony ride
The barrel ride
The very friendly staff

It was a shame about -
The food
The dirty toilet - this was the one with the changing area in too.

All in all, Leahy's Open Farm was a great day out for us and I'm glad it was accessible for me as a mother on her own with two young kids, one in a buggy, to get around. It's €9 per ticket for the farm - children under two go free and I think that's quite reasonable for the great day out it gives the kids - and us adults too!

* This is not a collaborative post and I paid for our visit to Leahy's Open Farm.
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