Down on The Farm some of the animal enclosures & attractions we have included:
Cholderton Rare Breeds Farm
Established in 1985
What you can find within the grounds
About The Farm
Our Farm, originally a dairy farm, first opened its doors as a Rare Breeds Farm with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) in 1985, and was purchased by the McConnell Family back in 2002, establishing its very own English Vineyards, Bluestone, in 2016, which now produces award winning English Sparkling Wine, the Classic Cuvee and a Rose released in 2021.
During your visit to the farm, there is so much to see and do, and we look forward to you joining us to enjoy some well-deserved quality time together when you visit. We have the Rare Breeds Farm packed full of your favourite animals, including: Pigs, Goats, Sheep, Donkey, Calf, Ponies, Rabbits, Peacocks, Chickens, Ducks & Geese and more, and we also have some fabulous play areas, daily activities, accommodation, farm shop to purhcase all of your kitchen essentials on your way out PLUS our stunning English Vineyard, Bluestone, where you can book tours and tastings for the whole family or a special occasion.
Speaking of special occasions, we are now able to host your special event, including Wedding Receptions and Ceremonies, as we are now a legal licensed wedding venue, as of 2019. We offer a bespoke and incredibly special and unique rustic farm weddings. Our beautiful farm in Salisbury, Wiltshire can now host your entire Wedding Day, from the ceremony, as we are a licensed venue, to the reception. Let us take away the stress of organising, and leave it to our team of experts! Enjoy a stunning woodland or vineyard wedding with us here at Cholderton Rare Breeds Farm.
We are also able to host bridal showers, baby showers, christening parties, naming ceremonies, anniversary parties, reunions, vow renewals, blessings, military function parties, charity events and so much more!
At Cholderton Rare Breeds Farm, we also offer personalised children's parties for your little lambs. We will gladly organise everything for you, from being the party venue to the party invitations, themes, entertainment, food and more! Let your child and their guests have an unforgettable farm party experience and enjoy our beautiful setting, our animals and a day to remember forever.
Please feel free to call us before you visit just to double check everything is open and running as usual (01980) 629438, advanced online booking essential.
We are in the FINALS for 'Best Family Attraction' 2022!
We are THRILLED & honoured to have been nominated again, thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for us! Please head over to the 'Muddy Stilettos' website by clicking this link, to vote for us as your “Best Family Attraction” winner! Please support our beloved family business by voting for us and share on your socials if you can.
We are in the FINALS for 'Best Family Attraction' 2021!
Award Winning 'Best Family Attraction' in Salisbury, Wiltshire 2019
We are the proud winners of the Muddy Stilettos ‘Best Family Attraction’ Award 2019. We are absolutely delighted to be recognised for the Best Family Attraction award and would like to thank all each and every one of you who nominated and voted for us, we are extremely proud to have won. There is so much going on down on the farm and we look forward to welcoming you and the whole family to our award winning farm soon! Find out more about the Muddy Stilettos Awards
Why not also come and try our Award winning wine?
Bluestone Vineyards who are located down on The Farm have picked up Silver in the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2022 for their Rosé Cuvee and Bronze for their Classic Cuvee in 2019.
Come and sample our award winning Classic Cuvee Brut, or arrange a vineyard tour with brothers, Nat and Toby, our Vineyard Masters! Click here for more information on our beautiful vineyards and our English Sparkling Wine. Learn more about the awards
All of our enclosures are proudly displaying all of our little furry friends plus highlighting some seriously stunning examples of Fine English Farming and British Rare Breed Animals. Our pens are designed to be easy to access, feed and get interactive with all the animals, so that all ages can easily see and touch the majority of our animals; just be careful of the nibbly goats who like to steal your animal feed, and wash your hands on one of our many hand washing stations on The Farm after touching any of the animals.
Testimonials
Mike Jeffries, Facebook
Hannah Nicel, Facebook
Scarlett J, Google
Had a lovely time here. My granddaughter loved feeding the animals. The food in the cafe was amazing. The staff were great we even made a fat ball for the birds 🐦
Vanessa Randall-Short, Google
Jodie Waggtastic, Facebook
Always love coming here. There is a zip wire which is super fun and so was the Xmas trail that was on! The plant based burger was tasty and good portion size. The staff were friendly and polite. Highly recommended 👌
Marianne F, Google
Really enjoyed a visit here. It is a small place with lots of potential and enough to see. The cost to get in is reasonable for what they have and much cheaper than larger destinations.
You can buy food and feel almost all of the animals. They are really friendly and take the food from your hand. While we were walking around we were given a cup full of seed for the ducks and geese for free which was a really nice touch and really helped entertain a family with kids that were in the same area.
There is a nice woodland walk with picnic tables which were all vacant when we were there so would be great to take a picnic. I think it is an area not many explore. There was a play area for kids there too with a zip line and various other bits so would be a great way to tire kids out.
We stopped in the cafe for some lunch before leaving and had some very generous portions of food for the price, so much so we couldn’t finish it all. The outside area was great too with trampolines and plenty of seating in a lovely setting.
Nick Baker, Google
Nicola Macready, Facebook
Such a fantastic day out. A wide variety of animals to look at with the opportunity to see some up close. Great value for money, we can’t wait to go again
Sadie Elizabeth, Facebook
We really enjoyed our visit to Cholderton Rare Breeds farm! Nice food, helpful and kind staff, happy animals! The children all seemed to enjoy that there was entertainment from ‘Silly Scott’ laid on for the bank holiday weekend too.
Marion Barton, Google
Tracey Merryweather, Facebook
We had a great time with our son here as a birthday treat. He loved seeing the sheep and goats up close and getting to feed them and the calves. He also got to stroke a rabbit and guinea pig. By far his favourite experience was the pig race, over in a flash but very funny! The food was cracking, good portion sizes, very tasty; we had burgers for us and sausage, chips and beans for him. £5 for the kids food and £10 for the adult, which for the size, quality and taste was excellent value
Jon Cox, Google
A great day out for all the family
Andrew Billington, Facebook
Vicki Williams, Facebook
We had an amazing afternoon here. The food was very good, we had a Mac & Cheese, ham, egg & chips and a lids packed lunch. We brought animal feed with our tickets and was surprised how much we got. A great selection of animals. Loved stroking the cows, watching the pig racing was fun. Very interactive for kids and little one love the trampolines. Will definitely revisit.
Rachel, Google
Plenty of space for the children to explore and run around. They liked the different animals and feeding them. The outdoor play area in the woods was enjoyed too.
Yvonne Norman, Facebook
Kerry Jane Turner, Facebook
A really wonderful and highly recommended experience at Cholderton. Perfect to stop off the A303 with kids (adults too) if you want an alternative to the typical services rest break in a journey.
The staff were very friendly and helpful throughout our visit. The lunch in the cafe was excellent quality, with plenty of fresh ingredients, and was a particular high point to our visit. The coffee was delicious and good to see there were wine options also (should the mood strike).
The farm itself has the usual variety of animals, but with the rare breeds giving extra interest and delight as you explore the site. There are lots of opportunities for everyone to get close to the animals for feeding and other hands on experiences with activities running throughout the day.
And if that isn’t enough, there are some fun playground setups (swings, sand pit. climbing frame and slide) if the kids still have energy to run off.
Allen W Snowball, Google