The Big Sheep - a family day out

The Big Sheep is a family day out with lots to see and do for kids from toddlers to teenagers...

And one of the nice things about it is that you can do some things together - like the twister ride which has seats for adults and children as young as three (height restriction).
There are lots of animals to see up close, including lambs (of course) and piglets.

If it's wet there's a 'soft play barn' with the usual ball pits and 3 great slides - a gentle (but surprisingly fast) one and two 'freefall' slides for more adventurous kids.

Outside there are go karts and the enormous bouncing pillows. 



For older children try Battlefield Live - for kids (and parents) over 8 years old.

 It's is like paint balling but without the bruises and pain. You get state-of-the-art eye-safe guns that fire invisible infra-red beams up to 200 metres (with great sound effects). There's 7 acres for your battle to rage in, full of forts, bunkers and barricades plus real military sound affects and lots of military vehicles as well as natural cover.
The Big Sheep also has a sister attraction, just up the road, called South West Extreme, where you can try mountain boarding and climbing.



The Big Sheep is a working farm, and there are shows throughout the day (when the presenter said the show about rams was going to last 45 mins my heart sank - but it was actually entertaining and informative).

And of course there's always the brewery, and shop, to visit. Plus there's free wifi if you need to stay in touch.

If you're holidaying with your dog, you might want to take advantage of the free kennel facilities (first come first served) - there's also shaded parking and a large dog walking area.


So all in all, it's not quite the major theme parks, but then you shouldn't have to spend half your day queuing either.

Getting there
The Big Sheep is about 22 miles from the cottage and lodges, or about 40 mins drive. It's easy to find, on the A39, 2 mins west of the new Bideford Bridge. It's well signed (ex39 5ap) if you're using SatNav.

The main season runs from the end of March to the end of October. In the winter it's open weekends and school holidays - check their website for details.

See more at the Big Sheep Website.

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Ooooh! Down the tree tunnel. Bit muddy, and I don't really do mud, but plenty of good sniffs on the banks, and those funny round leaves of navelwort already coming out. Snowdrops too, masses of them just by the golf course - on the lead here for me though. I don't really get golf, but apparently you can go and play. Ask any dog - holes are for sniffing and perhaps a bit of frenzied digging - but sadly this doesn't go down well on the green.

So it's across the golf course and into Chulmleigh itself, an old saxon hilltop town with thatched cottages and an impressive church. But enough of that for now - down Rock Hill, an ancient route to Chawleigh. Lots of dogs take their humans for a walk here. It's steep, and there's a river at the bottom - the Little Dart. Funny thing is, half the footbridge is done with metal railings, half with wood. That's because 2 different councils are responsible for half each. And humans think they're clever - even a dog could have sorted that one out. All it takes is a bit of a bark and a cocked leg to establish your territory...

Anyway, dogs who like to swim (not me) can splash about here. Later in spring it's a bit overpowering for doggy noses - wild garlic everywhere. The humans like to collect a handful for stuffed pancakes.

Then back up the hill. Still steep! Look out for buzzards soaring on the opposite ridge. We saw a couple of geese flying over. And when we got to the bench the human sat down, allegedly to enjoy the surprising kronk of a raven in the distance. I call it laziness, and I had to bark a reminder about the bakery.

But we weren't there yet - past the lych gate of the church yard, through a cobbled square with the war memorial and up the main street. There's a restaurant / cafe, and some shops, but we were heading for the cake shop. Dogs can't go in of course - I got tied up by the pub on a bench. Yumm! Chelsea buns, shortbread, chocolately things. You know I really don't think I got my full share...

Then back to the car and time to pick up the kids from school again...