If you have children and you haven’t yet checked out Castleview Open Farm in Cullohill, which opened during the summer, you’re missing out big time.
The Saunders family opened the Open Farm, set on 14 acres with an additional two acres of sheds and a farmyard, in late July in the shadow of the stunning Cullohill Castle.
As well as the spacious open farm which you can leisurely stroll around and see the alpacas, pigs, sheep, ducks and cows among others, there’s also an outdoor play area, crazy golf and a very entertaining maze.
But there’s also an incredibly good indoor space that includes electric go karts, a mud kitchen, sandpit, log cabins, a huge play area with smaller toys and and indoor soccer and basketball challenges.
For the parents, there’s also an on site coffee shop. They really have thought of it all.
And ahead of the Halloween break, they have a line-up of events on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, October 26, 27 and 28 as well as an even more extensive schedule on Halloween Day itself on Thursday, October 31.
The farm has its own pumpkin patch where kids, parents and general Halloween enthusiasts will really have a ball.
You can come and pick your own pumpkin from the field, kids can carve it on site with the help of their parents or take the pumpkin home to do it there.
You can see full details below.
Background to development of Castleview Open Farm
The family made the switch earlier this year on the back of the uncertainty in the beef sector.
“This prompted us to make this change to try and seek a more sustainable path, both financially and environmentally,” said 21-year-old Jack Saunders who works on the open farm with his parents Stephen and Margaret.
“I have always had an interest in farming and a love for animals. I was introduced to the business aspects of farming from an early age by my father Stephen who emphasised the importance of ‘doing your sums’ when it came to the farm,” said Jack.
“The biggest challenges we faced while finishing cattle was our small farm size, coupled with environmental obstacles and the uncertainty regarding the price we received for our finished stock.
“We decided to completely change our business model to a more sustainable, environmentally friendly approach. We sold our last finished heifer in January 2019 and have been building Castleview Open Farm since.
“The idea originally came from my mother Margaret who dreamed of running an open farm most of her life. We opened an Airbnb last year named Castleview Lodge in Cullohill beside our farm. It is going well and helped to encourage us to proceed,” Jack said.
“We hope to attract families, school tours, retirement groups and anyone else with a love for animals and the great outdoors.
“We also have plans in place for Santa’s Grotto, which will start in December, and we are taking bookings for that now.”
Follow the venture on Facebook and Instagram at Castleview Open Farm; or email at: castleviewopenfarm@gmail.com.
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