One of our old favourites, the farm trail at Low Sizergh Barn is great for kids. Here’s everything you need to know if you’re planning a trip.
Where is Low Sizergh Barn?
Low Sizergh Barn Farm Shop and Café (to give it it’s full name!) is located on the southbound section of the A591, just south of Kendal.
For those people heading north, come off at the A590 roundabout heading towards Grange-over-Sands, then almost straightaway you’ll see a turn off to your right to Sizergh Castle.
Take this turn off, then just before the Sizergh Castle entrance you’ll see a sign for Low Sizergh Barn. Follow the signs (drive slowly as most of this is single track) and you’ll be there in two minutes.
Parking at Low Sizergh Barn
There is a decent car park at Sizergh Barn, with plenty of spaces. In the height of summer cars are also often squeezed down the sides of the road in and out.
I recommend getting there either early or late in the day to make sure you can get a space, and if you end up having to squeeze in, pay attention to any cones that have been put out to guide you.
Alternatively, visit on a rainy day, parking is much easier when the weather isn’t great!
The Farm Trail at Low Sizergh Barn
Next to the car park you will see the building with sinks in it. This belongs to the new (lovely looking) farm campsite.
Behind this look for a tractor. This is where the trail starts.
At this point you might want to pop into the farm shop and ask for a sheet with all the fairy doors on them. There are twelve fairy doors on the trail, all distinguished by a different type of flower. And while you’re at the farm shop you may well want to pick up a coffee; the mocha has revived me from an early start with young children many a time!
Follow the path down after the Fairy Folk sign. At the bottom of the track turn right, and walk until you see the Farm Trail gate. Go through the gate and continue to follow the path alongside the little stream. You will pass the willow tunnel on your right.
Keep walking along the path until you come to another gate. Go through this and keep right. Here you will see all the fairy doors. These ones are very natural and are different to other fairy doors your children may have seen, but with the flower markings on them my children have really enjoyed spotting them. Make sure you look across the stream to see some!
You will come to a pond with a little deck next to it, and a seat on the other side. If you stop here you can watch the pond skaters zipping about, and some years we’ve seen frogspawn and tadpoles/frogs. On one visit, the weather was so warm that the pond had completely dried out, leaving only dry cracked mud.
Continue along the path with the pond on your right, and you’ll come to another gate. Go through this, and now walk diagonally across the field in front of you. This bit isn’t well signed, so take care to go the right way.
Straight across the field you’ll find another gate into a big field. Enter this field and follow the path around the edge, which leads you to a gate into the woods.
From here the signposting is good. Follow the path through the trees, and enjoy looking at all the different trees and plants around you.
You’ll eventually come to a stream. Along the path there are a few places along this stream to stop and play; we like to stop where the children can cross it on logs and play all around. There are also a few little bridges which are ideal for poohsticks!
Keep following the path, and when you come to sign number 3, you can decide where to make the walk shorter or do a slightly longer version. We always end up taking the shorter route as someone always needs the loo, which means you turn left at sign number 3.
If you go straight on at sign number 3 the walk takes in an other field, making it a bit of a longer walk, but not by a lot. The two routes meet up at a gate which leads to a field – here you will be able to hear the traffic from the A591 so you’ll know you’re in the right place.
Once through the gate turn left, then head down the hill towards a high gate. Through this, the path leads you through the Growing Well area; keep following the track to the right of all the polytunnels. At the bottom of this track you’ll find a field to your left, often with various farm animals in it who might come and say hello!
The steps ahead of you lead back up to the car park and….you’ve done it! Congratulations! Now if might be time for…
Sizergh Barn Café
The café at Low Sizergh Barn is located upstairs in the main farm building. Stairs lead from the farm shop upstairs to the café.
The café is lovely. It’s big enough that we’ve always been able to sit down straight away, and it has an easy, relaxed feel. The menu features lots of choices that are made with ingredients sourced from the farm, or from local producers.
The absolute BEST thing about the café is the viewing window to the milking parlour. At 3:30 the cows are brought in for milking and you can watch it all happen. My kids loved this when they were younger; now they just love the cake!
Also to note; Low Sizergh Barn produces and sells it’s own raw milk. You’ll find it in the café, and also from the raw milk vending machine outside the front of the farm shop. It’s very popular, and people stop off at the barn just for this.
Low Sizergh Barn Farm Shop
The farm shop is underneath the café and is very tempting after a walk! Full of goodies sourced locally and from the farm. We often treat ourselves to a cake or a packet of biscuits from here if we’re not visiting the café.
It’s also worth knowing that there are toilets located at the back of the shop, which are accessible with a pram/pushchair if necessary.
There is more shopping downstairs from the farm shop, where there is a whole floor of homewares. It is lovely down here! Definitely worth a look if you fancy a little treat for your home or a original gift for someone.
So that’s it! Walk, eat, shop, Low Sizergh Barn is definitely worth a visit.
