Event Review: Reaseheath College Lambing Weekend & Zoo 2020*

Reaseheath College is located in the flat planes of the Cheshire countryside and its nearest large towns are Nantwich, Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent. You can easily find the College as there are clear directional signs displayed from its main route on the A500. Once arriving at the college you are directed by staff/students to the onsite parking area. You are then guided to the entrance which can be reached by foot, where you are able to purchase entry tickets (see cost details below). The entrance fee for the lambing also includes access to the zoo – so be sure to allocate time for both on your visit there.

Upon arriving you walk through their newly added Famers Market/food court area where you can purchase a large variety of food, including hot main style meals, doughnuts churros and other snack items, as well as coffees/teas, hot chocolate, and a variety of soft drinks,  however, there is the option to bring your own food i.e. picnic, as there is plenty of bench-style seating that you are able to freely use.

From the food court, follow the signs to the lambing area. Once there you are asked to stamp your feet into a shallow cleaning trough in order to prevent contamination. You will also need to do this on leaving this area. Its no problem, I would just suggest packing your wellies or walking boots to visit the farm so that you don’t end up with wet feet!

In the lambing section, you will be able to view expectant ewes. The ewes are separated into different pens based on the number of lambs they are likely to give birth to, for example, single, twins, triplets. My children particularly enjoyed this part of the viewing zone as they read information booklet they were given on arrival that told them what to look at for if one of the ewes was ready to give birth.

We then moved on from this section to the newborn lamb area where they were able to see the newest lambs with their mother’s. Here you are also able to sit in a designated area and be passed a lamb to hold for a brief moment and the lamb is passed back to one of the staff/students. It is important to know that within this area the Reaseheath staff/students are trained to notice if a lamb is in distress. If a lamb appears to be unhappy whilst being held, the staff will remove the lamb and place it back with their mother and into a quiet zone where it can return to being calm and happy.

The children were really happy to see all the action in the various zones, and although they enjoyed holding the lambs their favourite bit was trying to spot which ewe may have been about to give birth. We felt really lucky to have been invited in to view all the ewes and lambs and were surrounded by lots of friendly staff who were happy to answer questions about the animals.

Once leaving the lambing section – which was a struggle, as I think my children could have stayed there for hours! We decided to head to the zoo which is a little walk away from the farm area at Reaseheath. The zoo has a huge selection of animals among a few, including, rabbits, reptiles, lemurs, and fish. The zoo is also run by students/staff, and throughout the day has a variety of informative activities taking place. You can find out the details of this on the day of your visit when you are provided with a map and time schedule for each of the events – some of which include a walkthrough with various animals.

We were so unbelievably impressed, with everything that was on offer at Reaseheath, not only the lambing but equally the zoo area. It is not just about going to see the animals but also about learning, how they live, how they are looked after and what takes place in the day to day farm setting. Equally in the zoo, they have lots of information about the animals and how they live etc. Which adds to the whole experience. You can easily spend the whole day there, and we would suggest getting there early and either packing a picnic or treating yourself to the array food that there is on offer, as there is so much to see, you will easily use up the whole day getting everything in.

How much does Lambing & Zoo access cost? 

Your ticket on the lambing event days also provides access to the Zoo
Adults £8
Children/Concessions £5
Family (2 adults 3 chidden) £25 (which works out at £5 per person)

Things to remember? 

Pregnant women are not advised to attend the event
No dogs are permitted
Wear suitable footwear – as you will need to stand in a shallow cleaning trough prior to entering the lambing area

What is on offer? 

On-site they have a variety of food stalls and craft/artisan stalls selling their wares.

Some of the food includes;
• Churros 1
• Coffee on the Hoof – local, speciality coffee served from a converted horse box
• Food For Thought Bakery – artisan bakery
• Sweet Dreams – freshly made doughnuts, milkshakes, hot and cold drinks
• The Crafty Ale Company – locally brewed craft ales and ciders to take home
• The Sweetie Shop
• Vitaliano’s – waffles and ice cream

There is also Reaseheath Catering which is run by the college, offering burgers and other snack type items, all at a reasonable price.

Upcoming events at Reaseheath

Family Festival 2020 is on Saturday 3rd May, you can find more details on their website.

The zoo is also open every weekend and the standard prices are the same as the lambing event – see above for more details.

You may also want to read this: