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I don’t know how, ever since the children were born, we lived in the close proximity of Deen City Farm in Merton (very close to Wimbledon, in fact!) but we have never visited when the children were smaller. It’s about 30 drive from us right now and it would have been closer when we lived in the flat in Surbiton. So last Easter holidays I came across Deen City Farm again and booked it. I was originally looking for a pony ride for my daughter, who really wanted to try that. Unfortunately, because of booking the tickets too late, all the pony ride times were booked out (I mean what did I think, really? Easter half term!) but I still decided to book the farm visit and I thought we can check out the stables and the ponies too. None of this actually happened when we visited, but we had a fantastic time – even if my children were slightly on the older side at nearly 9 and 11.
The second time we went February half ter, so nearly a year later and it was cold! Nevertheless, most things were the same and we had fun.
What age is Deen City Farm suitable for?
The farm itself – minus the stables – are suitable from very young age, like most children’s farms and petting zoos. Hence most of the children were around 2-7 years old when we visited. There were then a few like mine, 9-11 years olds, but both mine and seemingly all children really enjoyed being at Deen City Farm. They can all feed the animals that are calm, see them in their pens and there are also animal encounters (extra fee of £2.50 per child) where they can pet bunnies, Guinea pigs and meet ferrets.
What is the best time to visit Deen City Farm?
We’ve been in Easter half term and in cold February too – whilst sunny weather is always nicer for outdoor activities, the farm is just as enjoyable in cold weather: you can still feed the animals, attend the meet the rabbits and then have a hot drink in the cafe.
What is there at Deen City Farm to do?
The farm animals
Deen City Farmyard has lots of friendly farm animals (around 150 animal residents live at the farm): chickens, geese, goats, sheep, donkeys, pigs, cows, rabbits and even Guinea pigs, owls and ferrets. Even some farm cats and aviary! They live in their pens and you can buy bags of animal food for £1.50 to feed them. You can sponsor the animals like you would adopt them thus supporting the farm that operates as a charity organisation.
The riding school and pony rides
There is the riding school with horse and pony rides on certain days – they need to be pre-booked when you buy your tickets online, separately, because they cost extra. The riding school is approved by the British Horse Society (BHS) and the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA). Regular riders and member applications are welcome as well one-off bookings for a pony ride at £3 per go (plus £1 booking fee per transaction). These are a short walk on a pony with a leader and side walker. There are also Own a Pony Days available to book.
The farm garden
A lot of different areas to discover – I did enjoy the spring walk around there whilst the kids were at the playground (you can see them from the garden). Wildflower habitats, conservational area, compost heap on show, bug hotel, a green house – beautifully maintained and cared for. For a novice gardener like me, it’s a great little garden to see.
The playground and picnic area
A nice, medium size playground for smaller and bigger kids as well as picnic tables with benches.
The Brioche Farmhouse Cafe
Refreshments, coffees and tee, and regular cafe food such as cakes, sandwiches, brunch items are available as well as kids menu. Adequate number of tables for patrons to sit down for a snack – it does get busy around midday as we found).
The Farm Shop
This is where you can buy the animal food bags, and of course various gifts and seasonal items. They all support the farm. There is also an online shop.
Events at Deen City Farm
There are regular and seasonal happenings and events at the farm. At half terms they try to do a bit more to entertain the kiddos with extra workshops and craft sessions (a fiver of extra cost and needs to be pre-booked), such as:
- half term trails
- meet the rabbits
- animal ornament painting
- Doodles Garden Club
and more.
How much Deen City Farm tickets cost?
Technically, they are free. However, since the farm is a charitable organisation they can operate only if people donate. The suggested donation is £3 per person – which is still a very small fee for quality and educational entertainment for the kiddos… in my opinion, anyway.
The animal petting with bunnies and Guinea pigs plus the ferrets cost £2.50 per child.
The animal food bags cost £1.50 each.
Deen City Farm opening times
Farmyard (including shop, garden & playground): Tuesday – Sunday & Bank Holiday Mondays 10:00 to 16:30 (last admission at 16:00)
Riding School: Tuesday & Wednesday 10:00 -19:00, Thursday & Friday 10:00 – 17:00, Saturday & Sunday 09:30 – 16:30
The Brioche Farmhouse Café: Tuesday to Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays 10:00 – 16:00
How to get to Deen City Farm
Public transport: take the tram from Wimbledon, from Beckenham Junction or Addington Village to Wimbledon via Croydon. There are two stops, Morden Road and Phipps Bridge, on either side of the farm, both roughly a 10 minute walk from the farm entrance. On the first occasion we have visited we took the tram to Morden Road and walked. You can also take the bus 200 and 93 and then walk or the tube and then walk again.
Parking
On the second occasion we drove – I don’t particularly recommend this however. Deen City Farm does have a car park for what it seemed like maybe 10 cars. First of all the satnav only shows the road leading to Deen City Park, but it’s not obvious you can park in there if this is your first time driving there. We parked 3 streets up where it was free, in a residential street nearby and then walked about 7 minutes to the farm. To be honest, I’m not sure if it was free parking, but it looked like so. The other thing is there were lots of cars trying to park at the farm parking – resulting in cars blocking each other and people getting upset in the process – I was glad I didn’t even attempt parking there. I’d take the tram next time again.
Volunteering
If you fancy, you can even sign up the children (juniors really, from 12 years on) to learn about animal farming, a hands on experience – if you live nearby. They also offer lots of different adult volunteering opportunities.