insideKENT Magazine Issue 35 - February 2015 | Page 109

DAYSOUT

The South of England Rare Breeds Centre
On a fairly drizzly late January day, the Lamb family set off for a day out. With wellies packed
and cagoules at the ready, we made our way to Woodchurch, near Ashford. We’d heard
about the South of England Rare Breeds Centre from friends who had visited previously,
and it kept popping up on search engine results when looking for somewhere to go as a
family, so now we were finally going for it. BY LISAMARIE LAMB

I had no idea what to expect. Is it
a farm? An adventure playground?
A petting zoo? Actually, it’s all of
the above, and more.
With over 100 acres of animals
and adventure to enjoy, this really
is a full day out – and at a great
price too.
The children’s barn was our first
stop. This is a large, open barn right
by the entrance, so it’s hard to miss.
The enormous rabbit that was sitting
lazily on a bale of straw was also
hard to miss; bigger than my cat,
and friendlier too, this little guy was
happy to sit and be stroked by the
children (and some adults) who
were having the time of their lives
toddling from pen to pen,
investigating who or what was
inside. After the initial excitement of
the rabbit, we – my husband, my
four-year-old daughter, and I –
moved on to find a pen of adorable
piglets squealing and squeaking for
attention.
A rather large cow, an even bigger
Shire horse called Toby, some
chicks, goats, guinea pigs, and a
Shetland pony were all inhabitants
of the barn, and they were all

perfectly happy to bask in the
children’s delight.

immensely. Alice had fish fingers, but declared that they were 'the best
ever'…quite something from such a fish finger connoisseur.

Over the Tannoy, we heard that the
tractor ride was about to start, so
we persuaded a rather reluctant
child to leave the cute and cuddlies
and head over to the main paddock.
This was no tiny tractor – this was
a real working tractor that was used
to pulling large loads. Inside the
trailer were bales of hay to sit on,
which added to the authenticity of
farm life (even if they were a little
itchy!). The tractor ride is free, and
takes you the full length of the farm
and back again, passing adventure
playgrounds, animal pens, and a
rather intriguingly named feature,
Mysterious Marsh.

And so, bellies full, we carried on with our day – birds of prey, sheep and
lambs, and a multitude of chickens of all different varieties were admired,
but the pull of the playground proved too much and we headed off in that
direction. Although on the hunt for the zip wires and a tube maze that had
caught Alice’s eye earlier, we actually found ourselves in the Mysterious
Marsh first. Curious as to what it actually entailed, we decided to give it a
go – and it was brilliant
fun! The Mysterious
Marsh is an off-ground
woodland challenge,
wherein you must not put
a foot on the marshy
ground but try to stay on
the wooden platforms,
stumps, monkey bars,
and rope swings that will
lead you to safety.

After alighting from the tractor and
splashing about in some muddy
puddles, it was time for lunch. The
on site Granary restaurant is warm
and cosy, serving both comfort food
and lighter options, and all at a price
that won’t have you regretting the
decision not to bring a picnic
(a