Farmer Palmers has always been my favourite place to visit with the grandchildren who are now aged 5 and 2.  The choice of activities is great for them, my granddaughter loves feeding the baby animals and my grandson laughs non stop on the bumpy tractor ride. 

When we get there they’ll play on the little tractors, go swooshing down the slides in the hay barn and jump on the bouncy castles.  We always have to go on the go karts and we can’t leave until they’ve had a good hour in the soft play.  Even if the weather is bad I’ll put their wetsuits on so they can jump in the puddles and play in all the indoor barns.

I consider myself a young and energetic Nanny but I really do appreciate the seating which is dotted all around the farm park.  I like to play with the children as much as possible but sometimes it’s nice to take the weight off my feet and simply watch them having fun.

The woodland walk is always good for exploring and such fun for the children to run around and be free in the great outdoors.  It’s also been used as a peaceful way to try and get the little one to have a nap in the pushchair so she has plenty of energy to carry on playing after.   

The very helpful and friendly staff always add to our enjoyment as nothing is too much trouble for them.  I once noticed the team go into action when a child was missing.  I only knew because I was standing next to a member of staff when she got the message on her walkie talkie and having worked in a nursey setting for many years I was very impressed with the way the public had no idea with what was going on.  There was no sudden panic and I watched as staff appeared in different areas and within a couple of minutes the child was found.   

The grandchildren enjoy going into the big restaurant at lunch time and take their time choosing their own packed lunch box and I can treat myself to something tasty from the hot counter which always has a good selection.  Of course the ice creams always go down well at the end of the day too. 

The baby changing room, toilets and hand washing facilities are all in a good central area which is handy for me as it tends to be our first stop when we arrive, last stop before we depart and many times in between.

Over the years we’ve seen many improvements being made with new go karts, play houses, bouncy castle, adventure play barn and the recent additions to the ride on tractor area.  You can tell that the owners really take pride in their business and put money in each year to improve the park for all the lovely families who enjoy visiting.



My favourite day to date though was when we went to the Easter Egg Hunt.  The children were completely overwhelmed with their first large scale hunt and everyone was in such great spirit, especially the Easter Bunny.  Farmer Palmers has so much to offer, there is never enough time to do everything, but with our annual passes we always know we’ll be back soon.

By Dorsetnanny. xxx

If you need more ideas on places to visit in Dorset then please take a look at our list of Attractions and Places to go in Dorset.