Hug a bunny at Easton Farm Park

August by the seaside… I was imagining blue skies, Minnie building sandcastles with her ‘big’ cousin (aged three and a half), catching up with my pregnant sister-in-law over ice cream. But this, of course, is Britain.

And that was before I’d accounted for Bertha (former hurricane, merely a tropical storm by the time it hit the UK).

So we ditched the plans to hit the beach and the six of us headed to Easton Farm Park, a tip from Twitter (thank you Twitter) that I’d picked up a day or two earlier. Honestly, I think this fantastic family attraction should have been plan A all along.

Sold by the fact you could hug a bunny, we proceeded to get lost en route and nearly miss the chance.

But as well as Minnie getting a quick furry cuddle, there were pygmy goats, horses, donkeys and guinea pigs to tentatively stroke or stare at – and fortunately, a lot of fun things to do indoors as the torrential rains caught up with us.

Tiny motorised tractors to zoom around on both indoors and out, a mini train pootling around the site, along with pony and tractor-trailer rides when it’s not deluging, plus a Green Trail through the water meadows (again, when it’s not closed because of the risk of flooding).

Indoors, there’s a huge café with child-friendly menu, two soft play areas and a net section with ball cannons – as well as a coffee and cake deal for me, plus the Sunday papers.

Around a corner, there’s another soft play area, divided into sections for different ages. Someone at the farm has worked out that English summers are not to be trusted, and that there needs to be plenty of indoor entertainment.

I’d probably have paid the entry fee for one area alone, let alone having the animals thrown in.

I can only imagine how much fun it is when you’re not cowering indoors – which is what I’m blaming the complete lack of photos of my bedraggled family.

Easton Farm Park: Need to know

Tickets cost £12 for everyone aged 2+. Family tickets cost from £42, but all activities apart from hiring the mini tractors are free.

The farm is open from 10am to 5pm for general admission during term time, with special event days during school holidays.

It’s worth noting that there is no data if you’re planning to rely on online maps. It’s signed coming north on the A12, but there was nothing if you’re coming south so you may find yourself quizzing two helpful members of staff in a Shell garage once you’ve established you are lost…

For more ideas of things to do in Suffolk with kids, check out my tips for Aldeburgh as well as a mini road trip through East Anglia

Main image courtesy of Depositphotos, all others copyright MummyTravels

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