💷 Free entry
Island Farm Donkey Sanctuary
Free-entry donkey rescue sanctuary near Wallingford, run as a registered charity, home to over 130 donkeys and a farmyard of sheep, goats and poultry.
✦ We visited
A genuinely calm and unhurried experience, the kind of visit where children slow down rather than speed up. The donkeys themselves are the draw, and there is no timetable pushing you onwards.
Island Farm Donkey Sanctuary sits in a quiet stretch of south Oxfordshire, a short drive from Wallingford, and has been rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming donkeys for decades. The sanctuary is run by The Donkey Rescue, a registered charity, and is open to the public every day free of charge.
Over 130 donkeys live at the farm at any one time, many of them rescues with their own stories. Visitors can walk through the paddocks and meet the donkeys at close quarters, and the animals are used to people, so encounters are calm rather than rushed. Alongside the donkeys there are sheep, goats, chickens, geese, ducks and a pot-bellied pig called Percy, which gives younger children plenty to look at even if the donkeys happen to be resting.
Because there are no rides, no timed activities and no structured programme, the pace is entirely your own. Families with very young children and those with children who need a calmer environment than a busy farm park tend to find it suits them well. The open grassy paddocks are easy to move around, and donkeys are gentle, patient animals as a rule.
Entry is free throughout the year, though the sanctuary depends on donations and the gift shop to fund its work. It is worth allowing more time than you expect: the individual personalities of the donkeys have a habit of slowing visitors down.
Good for: animals, outdoors, send-friendly. Ages: 0–2, 3–4, 5–7, 8–11, 12+.
Good to know
Is Island Farm Donkey Sanctuary really free to visit?
Yes, entry is free every day of the year. The sanctuary runs as a registered charity and relies on donations and its gift shop; any contribution helps with the work of rescuing and caring for the donkeys.
Can you ride the donkeys at Island Farm?
No, there are no donkey rides at the sanctuary. The donkeys are rescues being rehabilitated, and the focus is on their welfare rather than rides.
Is Island Farm Donkey Sanctuary suitable for children with additional needs?
Many families with children who benefit from a calm, unpressured environment find the sanctuary works well. There are no loud noises, no crowds and no timed activities, and the donkeys are gentle and accustomed to visitors.
