Family friendly stay at East Afton Farmhouse & Visit to the Tapnell Farm Park in Isle of Wight
Ever since I was recommended to visit the Isle of Wight by one of the friends, I had been yearning a trip to the island. It was this month when we were finally able to transfer our plan from paper to a 'real' thing. We reached the Isle of Wight using the Wightlink ferry, and once on the other side drove to the East Afton Farmhouse where our accommodation was arranged at the East Afton Farmhouse Annex, a 2 bedroom self-catering property perfect for 2-6 people.
East Afton Farmhouse, a country house and a brilliant wedding venue in Isle of Wight is a beautiful 18th century farmhouse with a rustic charm. Our accommodation had all the facilities one could ask for - a spacious lounge and diner, an open kitchen with all the necessities we needed for the stay, a bedroom upstairs with ensuite bath, a twin bedroom downstairs, and a toilet with shower. There were some additional items such as a BBQ kettle, coal, firelighters - absolutely brilliant for cutting down the luggage of the holidaymakers. Both the rooms had hair dryers, plenty of towels and some extra bedding too. Apart from the living area, both the bedrooms had a TV too. Also, it was quite pleasant to spot a guitar in the spacious living area good for turning around the atmosphere. The accommodation also had loads of other entertainment options such as board games, books and an impressive collection of DVDs.
The upstairs bedroom was well lit and decorated and the ensuite had a bath that was great for relaxing after a long day.
The twin bedroom downstairs was where we decided to sleep during the stay. We managed to combine the two beds which gave us more space, especially with BabyN' as he still likes to share the bed with us. The crisp and clean bedding and the comfortable mattress was great for a good night's sleep. I really liked the vibes from the sea-themed decoration in the room while the colors and lighting was quite soothing to the eye.
We checked-in at the farmhouse quite late, so we quickly munched on the takeaway we had collected from a local restaurant at the Isle of Wight and decided to retire for the day. Although the island offers lots of food options, we were specifically looking for a Halal option and ended up collecting a 14’ inch pizza from Dalyan Kebab in Ventnor (Timing: 4:00 pm - 12:00 am, PO381ST).
The spacious open kitchen at the farmhouse had a toaster, kettle, microwave and a dishwasher. It seemed great for cooking and for preparing meals. All the required cutlery, pots and pans, china and under counter fridge freezer had been provided. Since I prefer not to cook during holidays, except for the first meal of the day, we generally used to eat out or ended up eating the leftovers and the already cooked food that I had bought from home.
We had a lot of things planned for our weekend stay at IoW, so it was supposed to be an early start the next morning. After a relaxing bath and well fed tummy, BabyN’ was however still wide awake so we decided to go through the ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’ activity book. It was packed with different things to do such as games, puzzles, stickers & coloring. BabyN’ was really excited as he knew we’ll be going for a Bear Hunt, and so took a lot of interest in the activity book. You can read more about the Bear Hunt in detail in another post, here.
The next morning, we visited the Isle of Wight Steam Railway After an amazing train ride, we first enjoyed our lunch then spent the rest of the fun-filled afternoon at the Tapnell Farm Park.
Less than 5 minutes drive from the East Afton Farmhouse where we stayed, is the Tapnell Farm Park - a one stop establishment for a range of activities. This had been a dairy farm in the past but has now been converted into an all-weather attraction making it one of the most popular place at the Isle of Wight. They have ample free parking at the place and once we had done ours, we headed for lunch at The Cow Co restaurant to enjoy some posh nosh.
As soon as we entered the restaurant, we got seated and BabyN' was handed over an activity sheet and some crayons in a milk bucket. As he got busy doing his thing, we quickly picked up the menu and decided on the food to order. Starting off with the drinks, we opted for a lemonade, a watermelon juice and a J2O.
For the starter, it was the garlic king prawns (£8) for me and soup (£6) for the husband. The prawns were pan fried in garlic and red chilli butter and were served with Island Baker's bread while soup was also served with some bread. I'm also fond of halloumi fries (£7) so I decided to get those too. The hot and crispy breaded halloumi was served with a sweet chili sauce and a mixed leaf salad. I was quite hungry by the time the lunch arrived, so I managed to finish both the starters very easily.
The Cow Co restaurant also has a cutely named 'calves menu' for the youngsters. We wanted to get a vegetarian option for BabyN', so we decided to opt for the cheese sandwiches that were served with a bowl of cherry tomatoes.
For the mains, I opted for a Goats' Cheese Gnocchi (comes in small and large portion sizes) and we ordered the Lemon Sole (£14) for the husband. Generally when I have to order vegetarian, I opt for gnocchi at restaurants, and although every restaurant has their own signature style of preparing the dish, the one served at The Cow Co, was slightly different from the others. The Isle of Wight soft and blue cheese, cheddar, piccalilli, Branston pickle and pickled onions is what the dish comprises of. I am not too fond of the blue cheese, but luckily it didn't seem overpowering in my gnocchi.
The Lemon Sole looked as good as it tasted and is served with a grilled lemon sole fillet on a bed of sauteed chorizo, broccoli, potatoes, green beans and peas, topped with lemon beurre blanc (white butter). All the ingredients do not completely make it a vegetarian or a Halal option but one can always request not to include unwanted items as per the dietary requirements.
Although I was quite full by this time, I can never say 'no' to dessert especially if the menu looks so tempting as it was at the restaurant. I wanted to try more of their desserts but due to the red alert from the tummy, my husband and I decided to get just one item to share which was the sticky toffee pudding (£6), served with a warm toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream. Also BabyN' was already much impatient by then and wanted to head to the giant jumping pillows he could view across the restaurant.
I decided to have the dessert outdoors as BabyN' was in no mood to spend anymore time at the table. While he started naming those colorful cows outside the restaurant, I got to enjoy the awesome pudding under some nice sun and a superb surrounding. After licking clean my dessert spoon, we walked across to the farm park.
BabyN’ was full of joy getting to see the different animals at the farm. Some of them were indoors at the Farmyard Barn like the lamb, bugs and beasties, guinea pigs, chicks, goats and rabbits while others such as pigs, alpacas, goats and some more lamb were outdoors in the paddock. We also experienced the Wallaby walkabout adjacent the Meerkats enclosure. Also, the farm has many additional activities such as pedal go-kart, zip lines, barn play area, huge jumping pillows, an indoor play area including a 3 storey soft play area and many more. For that hungry times during the visit to the Tapnell Farm Park, there is a cafe, an ice cream stall besides The Cow Co restaurant.
The farm park has it own free parking space, and is great not only for toddlers, but bigger kids and even adults. They’ve also got a gift shop for everyone to pick their favorite memento on the way out. The best part is that the Tapnell Farm Park is open all year round, 7 days a week and offers daily activities for the visitors as well as different events planned throughout the year. We had an amazing family time at the Tapnell farm at the Isle of Wight and we liked it so much that we visited it twice, first on our first day in IoW and once more before catching the return ferry to Portsmouth.
The Tapnell Farm Park at the Isle of Wight is not just great for attending the daily talks and activities with animals such as feeding, but it also has events throughout the year. Below is the list of events that have been scheduled for the following months.
The unicorn weekend has been scheduled for the 9th & 10th of June, and visitors will be able to have some sparkly fun with horse rides and will get to meet unicorn. The next events will be held on the 16th and the 17th of June, and the tractor and engine weekend at the farm will enable dads go free on father's day. Summer shindigs have been planned for the 26th of July and 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th August and this summer party with have live music, food and entertainment. For Halloween, they've planned spooky farm fun (22nd till 28th Oct), and the farm will also feature a pumpkin patch at the end of the week.
I've also posted earlier about the fun things to do with kids at the Isle of Wight in case you're looking for more things and activities to do when on the island. My family and I had an amazing time at the Isle of Wight, and we can't wait to go back again for some fun!
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I have never considered the IoW before for a family break but seeing your post has me inspired.
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd been able to visit here when I went to the Isle of Wight a few months ago, looks like a fun place x
ReplyDeleteWe were just talking about going to the Isle of Wight the other day and how wonderful to stumble on your blog sharing about where to stay while we are there. Can't wait to head there, thanks for the share.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.yeahlifestyle.com
What a great family trip! IoW looks beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great place to stay! It looks like a home away from home (if fact I wish my kitchen was that good!) The Cow co looks pretty amazing too; the food looks so delicious
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fab family holiday destination! And that food looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteIt looks absolutely beautiful here. It actually reminds me of a little place I used to stay in Edale when I was a kid :)
ReplyDeleteLouise x
How gorgeous does everything look, and the food in The Cow Co restaurant looks incredible. I would love to try the halloumi fries and gnocchi
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