Smithills Open Farm

Smithills is a gorgeous open farm up a (very) beaten track in Bolton. Lots of eager goats, ducks, chickens, piglets, ampicas etc to feed & daily activities to enjoy. Every hour or so, people congregate on the hay bails & get passed a variety of baby animals to handle. I visited today & saw a sheep give birth, hung around for a while and saw the lamb wobble around on his first steps — it’s honestly so gorgeous here — ideal to come at Easter time so you get maximum baby animal exposure! Good hot chocolate & toasties in the café too. Would recommend it to families — don’t let that bumpy road put you off, there’s decent parking once you get there & ample facilities.

Smithills has a good selection of farm animals along with a few more exotic creatures. All of the animals indoors are in pens that mean you should be able to touch them, and they can always be tempted by the food.
If the weather has been wet or you’re expecting rain then don’t go wearing any fancy shoes. To see all the animals you’ll have to venture outside to the fields, and this can obviously get a bit wet.
Smithill put on a number of demonstrations throughout the day, including baby chick handling and display of a large eagle owl. There’s also a demonstration of how they milk the cows. They have quite a few cows so it takes about an hour for them all to be milked — you can get away with just watching the first batch though.
There are also additional activities for children including pony rides, bouncy castles and tractor rides.
The only negative point is that I feel some of the signage within the farm could have been better. For example, one sign warns that the pigs in the field can bite and that you shouldn’t touch them. However, this sign is only at one entrance to the field and if you approach from the opposite direction, you won’t see it until you’ve already passed the pigs.
Also, apparently the donkeys and ponies shouldn’t be fed the animal food. But there are no signs to tell you this! So beware, don’t feed the donkey or ponies or you’ll get shouted at by an irate farm hand like we did.

Over the last 18 months or so this place has undergone quite a bit of refurbishment, and now it’s not too bad a place for an afternoon out with younger kids.
There’s certainly plenty to do, especially in good weather: donkey rides, pedal tractors, a play area, feeding the animals, etc etc. Even indoors there’s still a fair bit going on, including an indoor bouncy castle and animal demonstrations (including live snakes if you’re into that sort of thing) — but it can get very muddy in wet weather (hardly uncommon in these parts), so be warned!
They also do kids’ parties although I wasn’t too impressed with the food at the one I attended a few years ago. It’s not too expensive a place to get in and all in all it’s worth a visit if you’re in the area.