Down on the Farm

This weekend Simon and I set ourselves a challenge to go on an adventure that didn't involve eating afternoon tea. 

Having eaten pretty badly recently I was craving a bit of a walk and some nice fresh air to fill my lungs.  Our criteria for the afternoon was to find somewhere we hadn't been to before, that was fun and wasn't going to cost too much money whilst also being within walking distance from our flat.

The perfect choice was Ouseburn Farm, a city farm hidden under the Byker Bridge a mile from Newcastle city centre.

The Farm is a community led project that offers an education centre for local children, a place for volunteers to work and adult placement courses for people with learning difficulties.  It also offers a number of interesting evening classes including "Yoga at the Farm" and "Sow to Grow", a six week course on cultivating your own vegetable patch.

We did a lovely 40 minute walk down to the Quayside and then into the Ouseburn Valley to find the farm.  It was funny walking through the built up area approaching the farm and hearing the sheep bleating before even finding the entrance. 

The Farm is small but perfectly formed, an ideallic outside space for a relaxing walk.  We loved strolling through the vegetable patches and admiring the scarecrow (who was very on trend with his lovely pastel blue coat) before moving through to the animal barns.

Having grown up in Norfolk, I absolutely love farm animals and was skipping happily from barn to barn making friends with all the furry four legged creatures I could find.  Simon was less enthusiastic and a bit nervous around the larger animals although I did catch him stroking a goat by the end of our visit so I think the farm won him over.

There have been some recent additions to the barns and we got to meet some cute lambs in the Jacob Sheep pen who were born last month as well as some chicks with amazing feathery feet. 

My favourite animals of the trip were definitely the pigs who were having a really lovely long Bank Holiday lie in and were happily cuddled up fast asleep in the hay. 

The farm is open every day throughout the year and is free to enter but donations are gratefully received.