Sunderland Training and Education Farm

What it’s like

Feed calves, stroke lambs and hold baby chicks, open Thursday afternoons in the school holidays for £2.

This is a proper working farm setup rather than a polished visitor centre, and the animal list shows it: baby calves to feed in the Cattle Shed, lambs to stroke in the Sheep Pen, piglets to see (and their mothers to scratch) in the Piggery, plus chicks and ducklings to hold in the Hatchery. There's a Goat Shed where you can watch milking and even have a go at making ice cream, eggs to collect in the Poultry House, and a Duck Pond with several breeds to feed. Add in a Wildlife Area for bug hunting, a Garden Area for planting and picking veg, pony and cart rides, and a seasonal fruit maze, and you've got a genuinely hands-on couple of hours.

The catch is the opening hours: it's Thursdays only, 1pm to 4pm, and only during school holidays. That's a narrow window, so it's worth building the rest of the day around it rather than treating it as a drop-in stop. Entry for the Family Events on those Thursdays is £2, which is about as good value as a farm visit gets.

There's a small café on site along with a picnic shack. The car park has disabled parking, though you may need to shift a bollard to get in, and the site is close to South Hylton metro station if you fancy skipping the car altogether.

Birthday parties are also on offer here, with a Farm Party (£8 a child) giving a farm tour, animal handling and a pony cart ride, or a My Pony Party at the same price for grooming, painting and chalking a pony plus a cart ride. There's also bird of prey walks, reptile handling days and young farmers days if you want something a bit different. Parties need a £20 non-refundable deposit and a minimum of 15 children.

What’s on here

• WED7

  Pony activity weeks

  09:00 · from £35 · 69 more dates

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• WED7

  Special needs group

  13:00 · from £5 · 17 more dates

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• WED7

  Volunteer group

  13:00 · 17 more dates

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• MON12

  16-18 year old training course

  09:00 · 16 more dates

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• MON12

  Monday taster sessions

  13:00 · 16 more dates

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• TUE13

  Tuesday toddler group

  13:00 - 14:45 · 16 more dates

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• TUE13

  Bush craft

  16:00 · 16 more dates

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Facilities

Need to know

Parking

On site car park with disabled parking available

Getting there by bus or train

Close to South Hylton metro station

Parties

Farm Party £8 per child (1 hour farm tour with animal handling and pony cart ride)

• Public opening is Thursdays only in school holidays, 1pm to 4pm, so it's easy to miss if you're not planning ahead
• The disabled car park may need you to move a bollard to get in
• Reptile and animal handling runs throughout opening hours, not just at set times
• The fruit maze is seasonal so it won't always be there
• Bird of prey walks and reptile handling days are bookable as separate events

Plan your visit

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