📍 south cerney
Butts Farm Rare Breeds
Traditional rare-breeds farm near Cirencester with curly horses, rare cattle, bottle-fed lambs and hands-on animal sessions.
✦ We visited
An affordable and genuinely hands-on animal morning, especially good for very young children who find the bigger parks overwhelming. Aim to arrive by 11am for the full run of activity sessions.
Butts Farm near South Cerney is a working farm that keeps a wide collection of rare and traditional breeds, including unusual cattle, sheep, pigs and goats alongside curly horses and Welsh mountain ponies. It is a smaller and quieter alternative to the bigger farm parks in the area, which suits families who want close animal contact in a calm setting.
The farm runs timed activity sessions starting at 11am each day, with bottle feeding the lambs first, followed by bunny cuddles, animal feeding and hands-on animal handling through the morning. Those sessions are the heart of the visit: arriving for 11am gives the best chance of catching the full sequence. The admission is among the lowest for any comparable farm visit in the county, which makes it good value for a couple of hours of genuine animal time.
Afterwards there is a farm shop selling local and farm produce, and a farmyard tea room with cream teas. The Cotswold Water Park lakes are close by if you want to extend the day. It suits babies through to primary age, with the youngest enjoying the morning handling sessions from 11am onwards.
Good for: animals, outdoors, sensory. Ages: 0–2, 3–4, 5–7, 8–11, 12+.
Good to know
What animals are at Butts Farm Rare Breeds?
Rare and traditional cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, curly horses, Welsh mountain ponies, rabbits and chickens, with unusual breeds throughout.
What time do the activity sessions start at Butts Farm?
The daily sessions start at 11am with lamb bottle feeding, followed by bunny cuddles, animal feeding and hands-on handling.
Is Butts Farm good value?
Yes, at around £6 per person it is one of the most affordable farm visits in the area, with hands-on animal sessions included in the admission.
