Trifter

BEDALE in North Yorkshire is at the heart of the Herriot County Attractions Group and has many fascinations for visitors. One of the best, with the largest amount of invigorating fresh Yorkshire air, is the Big Sheep and Little Cow Farm Attraction on the Bedale Beck. Buy this Kwickee for the lowdown on all that it has to offer.

Big Sheep and Little Cow is operated by David and Carol Clark and their two sons, Duncan and Jared. It is basically a small, family-run dairy farm that diversified into tourism and ice-cream making in 1989.

People travel for miles around to take part in the guided tours of the farm that are held every hour from 11:00 to 16:00. The attraction itself is open from 10:30 to 17:00 every day from March to August, and Saturday to Wednesday between September and February. The centre is closed from Christmas Eve until the first week of January.

Minty the Friesland Sheep is one of the farm’s firm favourites. Her lambs, which tend to be gluttonous, can be bottle-fed by the youngsters. When they are replete and nod off, the children are able to feel their soft, springy fleeces.

Bruce the piglet can also be bottle-fed by the youngsters. Later the children can help to bathe him before he takes a wallow for himself in the corner of his field and drops off to sleep.

There is a traditional wheeled shepherd’s hut, which at one time would be moved around the farm during lambing time to act as the shepherd’’s home and base.
Big Sheep and Little Cow has a menagerie of other animals, ranging from rabbits through ponies to the Dexter bull.

Visitors are welcome to taste the Oakwood Speciality Ice Cream, which is made on the farm. They can do this while relaxing next to the old mill race without taking one of the farm tours.

Big Sheep and Little Cow keeps a flock of Friesland ewes (big sheep) and Dexter cows (a small breed of cow) which graze on the old water meadows next to the water mill. Their milk is used for the farm’s production of its high quality natural ice cream.

The Clarks go to great efforts to ensure that the cattle and sheep produce a nutritional, clean-tasting milk as the basis for their ice cream by giving them the best possible diet.

After the milk is secured, only the best ingredients are added to the ice cream during its production to ensure that it meets their high quality standards.

Big Sheep and Little Cow has ample free car parking with coach parties being made welcome by prior arrangement. There is a shop with a picnic area nearby. Pony rides are available and there are children’s quad bikes kept for hire to the 6- to 12-year-old age group.
Refreshments are available from the coffee shop, which is licensed for farm visitors.

The farm can be reached by watching for the brown “Farm Visitor Centre” sign, near Bedale Bridge on the A684 road between Bedale and Harrogate.

Visitors can obtain further information on Big Sheep and Little Cow by phoning 01677

422125.