We've been swash-buckling my hearties over at the National Forest Adventure Farm Burton-Upon-Trent today in a quest for hidden treasure as the pirates have taken hold. From 15th July to 4th September, you have the chance to take on the pirates of the Maize Maze as they take over a little part of Staffordshire. We had great fun as is usually guaranteed in one of our favourite spots in the county. The warm welcome at reception and the enthusiastic team around the farm add to the enjoyment of the day. We started with a gentle introduction to farm life with a tractor ride to spot the scarecrows some of whom have even got in on the pirate action! Then we headed over to the pirate show aboard the pirates' ship where we were entertained to an interactive display of pirate humour and antics. From climbing the rigging to hoisting the Jolly Roger – it's all there for your enjoyment. The Pirate Stage Shows play at different points throughout the day (you get a handy schedule when you enter so as not to miss anything – when theres's so much to see this is really very useful!). Be warned however, there are sharks loose – in fact in hindsight I wondered why there seemed to be fewer ducks.
On from the show, we headed to animal barn where you can get hands on with the smallest of creatures from bunnies to guinea pigs. It was feeding time when we arrived and there were even some hopping around for a stroke. Both of the little ladies enjoyed this – there are ample facilities to wash your hands afterwards before lunch so don't be put off from getting in there! As well as smaller animals, there are pigs, goats, newly hatched chicks and horses too. We had scooped some food as we entered the farm and the girls were keen to give this out to all who would eat. The Little Lady became particularly friendly with the sheep and goats.
After a spot of lunch on one of the many benches (we chose outdoor but there are benches undercover as well as a seated cafe area from which to choose – the number of spots to sit and eat has been increased even more since we last visited – each year gets better), we headed for the maize maze. There are two to choose from – we opted for the smaller of the two and I am glad we did because we struggled to find the Jolly Roger who proved elusive to many hunters – but it was tonnes of fun! The Little Lady really enjoyed this quest, while the youngest took the opportunity to grab some sleep as we wound our way around the puzzle again and again!
Today has been real fun and now the Little Lady is four, she really enjoys the range of activities that is on offer at The National Forest Adventure Farm. She cheered for 'Ed Sheeran' – the sheep to win the sheep race and pumped an old fashioned water pump to push a duck faster than her mom. She has worn an eye-patch for about 8 hours today and even donned her pirate's costume as soon as we returned home having brought the fun home.
The weather too has definitely been on our side today which made the outdoor play area even more enjoyable. From a giant inflatable JCB digger to enormous bouncing pillows, the kids have bounced. They have dug sand, drove mini tractors, eaten delicious ice cream, hunted treasure and even smelt the scents of the beautiful herb garden. Since our last visit too, an apiary has been established, which allowed us to talk about honey bees and the good work that these beautiful tiny beasties were doing when they danced around the lavender. Littlest VFAD has tried to munch fallen apples and discard potatoes as well as sniff every flower on display – too cute!
Our girls love this spot – we didn't think our previous visits could be beaten but the pirate adventure we have had today combined with the friendly Eel-breath, who joined us for a chat over lunch made our day!
We ate pasta with our eye patches on tonight, we walked the plank into the bath to wash off the day and chatted at length about our favourite parts of the day as we went to bed – 'Ahaaah' was the 14 month old's response. 'Everything' was the response from the four year old with gusto! I don't think there's much more to be said! So if anyone asks 'Did you have a good day?' My reply would most definitely be 'ahaah-I -sure -did'! (pirate style).
Make sure you take advantage of the adventure of offer over at the National Adventure Farm – there's even more to see than I have been able to mention here – maybe even dress as a pirate too!
See more of our picture here!