Over the past several years we must have visited the rabbit farm over a dozen times. In several ways it does not compare to the large and more publicised zoo's but in many ways it is also better. The rabbit farm may not have lions and tigers and bears but what it does have, or more to say what is does provide is a unique and special experience that will never be forgotten.


The rabbit farm is situated within Criccieth, Gwynedd on the Llyn Peninsular. Set back of the road it is very much out in the open country but to be fair it does provide adequate sign posts which is very much a first for small places such as this. The rabbit farm is a family run business and the aim of the experience is to provide customers like me with a fun and friendly atmosphere where they can enjoy a unique and exciting experience, being there several times I definitely feel I have experienced that and more.


The rabbit farm is home to a range of different animals, the majority of them being your average farm type animals such as sheep, horses, pigs, goats and rabbits. Then some more challenging animals that you are very much less likely to see in the wild such as Meerkats, budgies, puppies, peacocks and alpacas.


Upon arriving at the farm you are greeted by a relatively small car park which is however ample for the amount of visitors that are usually there. There is a small hut which is where you go to purchase your tickets, you are greeted here with warm welcome from a member of the family who works there. The ticket prices are very reasonable an adult costing £4.50 and a child costing £3.50. You are also able to purchase bags of food to feed the animals, these cost a reasonable 50p per bag, we usually buy 3, which equals as one each mainly just because we love to feed the animals so much. You get instructed as to which animals you can and can't feed the only ones that you can't being the Meerkats and the puppies.


Once you enter the farm you are greeted by several outdoor pens which include the larger animals such as the alpacas, horses, donkeys goats etc. all of the fences are low enough for you to be able to reach over and there are also several areas beneath the fence in between the slats that are perfect for the children to be able to reach over to stroke and feed the animals. There really is no shortage of animals to feed as they all immediately rush over too you as they know you have what they want .....food! There is of course no escaping the fact that these are animals and they can be prone to biting but not once have I ever been bitten and the animals seem so caring and eat out your hand with delicacy, well, I can say that for all but a few animals, there are a couple of large goats that think it acceptable to ram the smaller ones out of the way to get to the food you were going to feed them and then scoff the food out of your hand without even considering anybody else ..... I try to avoid these at all costs as they just seem very greedy to me and the other goats don't get a look in. One other problematic animal is the peacock, there beak really does hurt if it manages to catch on your skin so again another one to avoid.


The animals that really are lovely to feed include the baby goats which are free to roam around the park so you may just come across one from time to time, the horses are also lovely although they can leave your hands very mucky. The pigs are very funny to feed, they really do emphasise the saying "eat like a pig" they literally grunt all over your hand, these animals are not uncomfortable to feed but they do smell like something awful!


The best animals are saved for last and these are in barns at the end of the trail, firstly there are sheep, these are fun and they love food but they are not very comfortable with you stroking them, they just want the food! Secondly there are puppies, these are actually available to buy and every year I have always wanted to take one home but we never do. It actually makes me a little bit sad to think that some puppies might be bought by holiday makers who fall in love and then get neglected when reality sets in back at home. That is why I have always prevented myself from buying one, we already have one dog at home so two would just be a nightmare. Anyway, with the puppies there is always a member of staff, well I say member of staff it is actually a young boy who I assume is part of the family who owns the farm, he passes you the puppies to hold and watches to make sure little children don't get carried away or hold the dogs in the wrong position. The Puppies are adorable to hold and I always struggle to give them back after 10 minutes or so. So lastly there are a range of rabbits and guinea pigs, these you are able to just pick up as you wish and most of them avoid scratching you as you do so! There are some benches in the area also so young children are able to sit down with a rabbit on their knee. They always like to take little bits of food out of your hand and these animals are the most easy to be with as they don't mind the food and they actually love being picked up.


As well as having the animals the rabbit farm also does pony rides for an extra £2.00, my daughter has done this once and she wasn't really to keen but I have seen other children who seem to enjoy it very much. Its basically just you sat on a pony whilst it is being lead around a pen a couple of times, I would recommend this activity for slightly older children however.


Towards the end of the trail there are some sinks and antibacterial hand wash and the owner very much encourage everyone to wash there hands after feeding or handling the animals. There is also a café, we have never been in here so I couldn't give you any information on prices and quality or such things but they do also have several picnic areas and we always bring a picnic to enjoy instead. There are toilets on site and there is disabled access throughout the entire park area and café.


I absolutely love visiting the rabbit farm as does my daughter. It is not overly large but the day is what you make it. You could visit all of the animals and be back in the car within half an hour or you could pack a picnic, spend more time with the animals, make several trips round and make a very fun day out for an extraordinarily cheap price. I highly recommend paying it a visit.


The rabbit farm is open 7 days a week 10am -5pm.