Planning a visit to Pennywell?
It’s fantastic to be open and to have been able to welcome visitors back to Pennywell once again. The whole team here had that ‘first day at school’ feeling when we opened the gates post lockdown but now we are used to new ways of working, we’re comfortable and enjoying sharing all the fun of the farm with the visitors.
Visiting anywhere post lockdown is going to be slightly different but it helps to know what to expect, so here is a rundown of the new safety measures and everything you need to know to make sure your visit is memorable, fun filled and most importantly, safe.
Book tickets online
The most important thing to remember is to book your tickets online before you visit. This avoids queuing, handling money and also provides contact details for Track and Trace should they be needed. As numbers are restricted, we cannot allow entry to anyone without an online ticket. Book Tickets.
Two Sessions
To keep all our visitors and team safe, we have split the day into two sessions so that you can book either a morning 9am-1pm or an afternoon 2pm -6pm. The great news is that we have managed to pack a full day of fun into your 4 hour visit with hundreds of friendly animals to meet and plenty of activities to keep you entertained, including our world famous pig racing.
Temperature Checks
Temperature checks
When you arrive at Pennywell, there will be a friendly member of the team to greet you at the entrance. They will take your temperature using a non-invasive infa red thermometer that they will simply point at your forehead. The team member will be wearing a face shield and gloves. It’s a simple first check to make sure that everyone on site is healthy.
Hand sanitiser
There is hand sanitiser for you to use before entering the farm and at many locations around the farm. We have over 40 hand washing and sanitising stations that we encourage visitors to use as they move around the farm.
Hand sanitising stations around the farm.
Safety Screens
In our entrance shop and mobile reception desk, a member of our team will greet you from behind a clear plastic screen. They will check your name on the list of pre-paid tickets. Please note that you must book in advance and we are not accepting any cash payments on site. Contactless cards work through the screen so there is no need for contact.
Pennywell shop
Face coverings
To comply with the law, we ask that visitors bring a face covering to wear in the indoor and undercover spaces.
One Way System
To avoid contact with other visitors we have introduced a one way system around the farm, just follow the arrows on the floor.
Once in the farmyard, check the activity board to see what’s happening and when. We are only caring the activities where we are confident we can maintain social distancing, plus there are plenty of areas for you to explore on your own if you wish.
Food and Drink
Drinks and snacks available
Our main Café remains closed but we have several take away outlets offering snacks, pasties, sausage rolls etc as well as barista coffee, hot and cold drinks. You can also enjoy fabulous ice cream from Langage Farm.
It’s a Great Day Out!
Keeping you safe has to be our main priority, however we still want you to have a fantastic experience with us and guarantee that you won’t waste a single minute of your visit. There are hundreds of friendly animals to meet as well as amazing farm activities like ferret racing, deer feeding, egg collecting and our world famous pig racing.
Pig Racing
Our Red Rocket, Tractor/Trailer and Rainbow Railway rides are running and there is literally acres of space to enjoy. Our new miniature pony and donkey centre is open for you to wander in and make friends and you can picnic with some of the best views in Devon.
Any Questions?
All the information you need can be found on our website but if there is anything that you are unsure of, please email [email protected] and a member of our admin team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Hope to see you soon!
This story appeared on September 4, 2020
Whilst I appreciate you have to put lots of measures in place to re open. Is it fair you are still charging a full days fare for only a half day visit?
Hi Rachael, I know that it may seem unfair but we have split the day in order to keep our visitors safe. There is no financial gain to Pennywell as we are already restricted on the number of visitors we can have to the farm each day. It actually makes staffing more expensive as we are working a longer day to look after a much smaller number of visitors than we would normally have at this time of year. We have done our utmost to cram a full day of fun into four hours and the feedback from visitors has been very positive. With the current situation, safety has to be our priority.
Hello, we are hoping to visit over the next 2 weeks. Can we bring our dog she is only 1 years old.
We don’t allow dogs into the farm but we do have kennels in our top car park which are free for visitors dogs to use.
Hello, just wandering if the piggy cuddles are happening?
Many thanks
Not quite piggy cuddles just yet as we have to maintain distance between our team and visitors. However, you do get to meet the pigs and enjoy stroking them.
Hiya thinking of bringing my family this week is there a limit to how many people in the family can come ?
Hi Grace, there is no limit on numbers as long as we have tickets available and everyone has booked in advance. Hope to see you soon!
When will we be able to have piggy cuddles again
It’s impossible to say at the moment. It’s one of the things where close contact between visitors and staff is needed so we just don’t want to put anybody at risk. We still have piglets here that you can get close to.
Are you still able to milk the goats and lambs?
We do have goat milking at both the morning and afternoon sessions.
Afternoon
I am hoping to take the family to visit this summer. My eldest is a fanatic miniature pig lover. Is the Pig racing on both morning and afternoon sessions or just one of them?
Hi Alex, we have pig racing at both sessions so everyone can enjoy it regardless of when they come. Hope to see you soon.
Are there bunny’s etc to cuddle? Thanks
Hi Abbie, we do have rabbits, pets and hundreds of farm animals to meet and feed but due to the current restrictions we are not handling or cuddling any of the animals.
Do you still do pony rides and petting of smaller animals?
Hi Sian, we haven’t offered pony rides for a few years but we do have a new miniature pony centre and miniature donkeys that you can meet and cuddle in their paddock. We do have plenty of small animals as well which can be stroked and petted but not picked up at the moment. This is so we can avoid team members having close contact with visitors handing out the animals.
When is the last day of the season this year? We had to postpone our holiday until October but still want to visit
Hi Nigel, we certainly hope to be open until at least the first of November. We are only selling tickets a week in advance as a precaution in case things change but all being well, we would love to see you then.
Hi, wondering if you are still doing bottle Feeding.?
Hi Leanne
Bottle feeding is one of the few activities that we are not doing at the moment as it does require contact between staff and public. Hopefully, we will be able to reinstate it in the not too distant future.
Hi, are children still able to use the ride on tractors.. Also are the able to use the inflatables in the barn
Hi Hazel, we haven’t put the toy tractors back out simply because they would be quite difficult to sterilise after every use. Safety is obviously our main priority at the moment.
Hello
When we purchase tickets are we able to come back within 7 days for another visit free of charge please?
Hello Debbie, we only offer a free return ticket for 7 days if it rains during your visit.