Fun for kids at Brogdale Farm

 Faversham Miniature Railway

Are you looking for something fun to do with the little ones? Faversham’s miniature railway is open most Sundays at Brogdale Farm, and you can ride for as small as £1. Jump on board the train at the station, (through and to the right of the toilet blocks), and enjoy the journey. This is a truly unique experience as it is the only 9” Gauge Railway in the UK open to the public.

After having to close down for a while and not being able to open due to covid restrictions, we are delighted to see how popular they are once again.

The Railway hasn’t always been at Brogdale Farm. It was first opened in 1985 in Leysdown, with just two passenger-carrying cars. Unfortunately, just a few years later it was severely damaged by The Great Storm of 1987 and forced to close. The mini railway relocated to Norton Ash Garden Centre, where it was worked on and improved by volunteers when not in use, however it didn’t fit in with plans to develop the centre so moved once more. This time to Brogdale Farm in 2001, where it remains to this day.

For more information on the mini railway visit their website.

http://www.miniaturerailwayworld.co.uk/Faversham.html

Pictures by Garden Of England Girls

Check out their page here for more ideas of places to visit with children in Kent.

Orchard activities

If you are planning to visit, we recommend putting a few hours aside, as there is plenty to do and see. Just next door to the railway there is a fantastic play area where kids can run free. The Courtyard is also open most days and sells lovely food at reasonable prices.

If you have an Orchard Pass, you can explore the National Fruit Collection further on foot. Follow the footpaths and you will stumble across a couple of interactive areas.

• The World Music Garden has been created to encourage sound exploration and music-making with instruments from different cultures made from a variety of natural and man-made materials.
• The Garden for wildlife has been created to encourage wildlife to visit Brogdale. With a variety of different habitats, bug hotels, and food are all made to create a great environment for wildlife visitors.
• The interactive weather and climate station offer the chance for all ages to learn, discover and explore how our weather affects us and its importance to the growth of The National Fruit Collections orchards at Brogdale.

Keep an eye on Brogdale Collection’s page as they also host a variety of children’s activities and events during the holidays including, Wild Cooking, Juicing workshops, Music workshops, Beastie Days, and more.

Check our Brogdale Collections activities here

To buy an Orchard pass click here