Our children adore visiting farms — feeding the animals, sitting on ponies and stroking cuddly rabbits is a real winner.
Deen City Farm isn’t far from Clapham and it’s a fantastic place, a registered charity and educational resource. It’s open six days a week and there’s always something new to see.
You can see different breeds of sheep, goats, cows, alpacas, pigs, geese, ducks, chickens, rabbits, horses, guinea pigs and ferrets.
Animal feed for the sheep, cows, goats and alpacas is sold between 11am and 12 noon, and 2pm and 3pm. On busy days it does sell out quickly so you’ll need to get there in time.
If you’ve got a child with a pony obsession you’ll be pleased to hear that there are pony rides available for children under the age of eight and under seven stone in weight. Kids have to be able to support their own body weight, and be properly fitted with a riding school hat.
Rides take place every Wednesday at midday and at weekends at 3pm. They’re also available during school holidays from Tuesday to Friday at midday. They cost £1 per child, and are designed to let children experience sitting on a pony — they only last about a minute.
There’s also some great summer holiday activities for children over the age of eight; if your little one fancies owning a pony for the day or becoming a young farmer, check out the website for more details.
The site is flat and there are paths so it’s accessible for buggies and wheelchairs.
There’s a farm shop selling souvenirs and a café, which is open from 10am to 4pm, with hot and cold food, snacks and popular children’s picnic boxes.
The farm is open from 10am to 4.30pm from Tuesday to Sunday. It’s usually closed on Mondays but does open on bank holiday Mondays. There’s no charge to visit the farm but they do rely on donations to keep going, so give as much as you can spare.
There is parking at the farm but if you prefer to use the tube, it takes about half an hour in total with a ten-minute ride to Colliers Wood and then a 20 minute walk from the tube station.
Deen City Farm
39 Windsor Avenue
Merton Abbey
London
SW19 2RR
Tel: 020 8543 5300
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