Cefn Mably Farm Park

Keeping a one year old entertained on a daily basis is definitely becoming a lot harder than when he was small. Not only am I finding that I cannot leave his sight without him going absolutely mental, the days of going to the toilet on my own, or anywhere for that matter, are long gone. So by the afternoon both of us are getting cabin fever and its time to venture out. 

Since he started crawling at Christmas and is almost walking but not quite there, the world has opened up to him and he loves to explore his surroundings, climb on everything and hide behind anything he can. As a result I've been looking at soft play centres, parks, and farms that we can to visit to keep his little mind occupied, and I recently decided to take a trip to Cefn Mably Farm Park as the weather was a bit mixed so I thought as it had outdoor and indoor options, it looked like the perfect place to try.

After finding it a little tricky to locate (we finally got there after almost an hour in the car, a journey that should have taken 25 minutes from my home in Creigiau, but my sat nav decided not to play ball), Isaac decided to have a nap, which actually gave me time to have a quick coffee before he woke up and was ready to explore his new surroundings. 

We headed straight for the farmyard to have a look at the rabbits, goats, guinea pigs, horses, pigs and chickens. Isaac was absolutely absorbed by the rabbits. So much so that he tried to climb in with them! He was fascinated by the goats and much to my surprise was happy to give them a little stroke. Already showing signs of no fear! 

He wasn't keen on the pigs, although I think that was the smell of them rather than the sight of them, as he cried when we got close, and I must admit they were a bit pongy!

We then walked over to the horses and Isaac again seemed happy to stroke the horses nose, although that was followed by a pull of the horses mane, which unsurprisingly he didn't like and showed us his teeth, so we quickly moved away from the horse!

They had a great little adventure playground for little ones complete with swings, slide and one of those basket swings too. All of which Isaac greatly enjoyed, as usual!

Unfortunately after enjoying the park for a bit, the rain decided to set in so we headed inside to check out the soft play area. I totally forgot I needed socks but luckily they sell socks on reception for £1 so I rapidly bought a pair and we ventured into the 'Fun House'. Every soft play area just reminds me of Fun House with Pat Sharp when I was a kid. I just wish they had existed when I was a child, as they look amazing. 

Like most children, a soft play area is always a winner, and as long as he can find a ball to hold and throw, he's as happy as larry! 

We spent about two and half hours there before we needed to head home for dinner but it was definitely worth the trip and we had a lovely afternoon. There is definitely plenty to keep the children entertained, however young they are. I'll most certainly be heading back there again soon.

We went on a week day so entry was only about £3 which was pretty reasonable I thought for the facilities they have on site.

For more information visit www.cefnmablyfarmpark.co.uk 

Isaac's 1st birthday at Folly Farm

Isaac turned one on the 23 April and naturally we wanted to do something special to celebrate the occasion, however we didn't want to make a huge fuss and spend an unnecessary fortune. 

Our initial thoughts were the obvious party, however I knew I didn't want it in our house so started looking into hiring various different local village halls along with some soft play equipment to keep the children entertained for a few hours. I came across a number of barriers, either the hall or the soft play equipment were not available on the day I wanted and the whole thing not only started to become a huge faff but was also getting far more expensive than we anticipated, and we hadn't even taken into consideration food, party bags and presents. So, after a short discussion, we decided to abandon the idea of a party and instead mark the occasion with a visit to Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo in Pembrokeshire. 

I had recently taken Isaac to Cefn Mably to see the farm animals there and he seemed to enjoy it so we decided it was time to take a trip to a zoo and show him all the animals that lined the pages of the books we read on a daily basis.  We invited all our friends and family to join us, thinking most people wouldn't want to make the trip to West Wales, but much to our surprise most people said yes.

The car journey took us less than an 90 minutes door to door which was amazing, plus it gave Isaac the perfect amount of time to have a good nap and refuel ready for his big day. 

When we arrived we headed straight to the cafe to meet our friends and family and grab a quick coffee. The cafe had a great little play area for kids so that kept Isaac and the other babies/children entertained while us adults faffed around!

                                      

My dad with Isaac

                                      

Isaac with his cousin Finn

Once everyone had arrived we headed straight to the big attraction, the lions, as they're my favourite animal of all time and I wanted to show them to Isaac. After that we checked out the penguins, giraffe, meerkats, monkeys, camels and lemurs. Isaac seemed to be really interested in the animals and inquisitive about his surroundings which was lovely to see. After that we decided it was time to refuel so we headed to the burger bar by the penguin enclosure for a spot of lunch. There were plenty of high chairs available for the kids and there was a great selection of food for the little ones, as well as the adults.

Isaac with Dan at the Pride of Pembrokeshire

Lunch time in Carousel Woods

Isaac excited about his cake!

After lunch we decided to explore the top of the zoo and headed to check out the latest attraction.....the black rhino. On the way up, we passed the fossa, ocelot, tortoise, ostrich, tapir and more lemur and monkeys. I couldn't believe the array of animals we were looking at. It really was amazing. After having a good walk around we stopped to give the kids a snack and have another coffee before heading into the jolly barn to have a look at the pigs, goats, horses, rabbits, guinea pig and chickens. I think this was Isaac's favourite part of the zoo because he could get up close to the animals and get a good look at them.

At the rhino enclosure

The black rhino

Checking out the goats

With Grandpa

Our group

We all had a really fantastic day and were blessed with such amazing weather, which made the day even more enjoyable. For us, it was the perfect way to celebrate Isaac's first birthday and even if he won't remember it, we will. We had a fab time looking at all the animals and watching them play, eat and chill out, especially the penguins. They will awesome. We loved the underwater viewing area where you could see them swimming around. We especially enjoyed Giraffe Heights viewing platform where you can get so much closer to the giraffe.

We really can't wait for another visit later in the year and when he is older he can enjoy the other attractions like the fun fair, sandpits, tractors and racing cars too. 

For more information on Folly Farm and the animals and attractions they have for visitors visit www.folly-farm.co.uk