Being brought up a farm it doesn’t take long for me to end up in a City Farm. I really recommend cyclists visiting some of these and getting off the beaten tourist track.
Ram at Brooks Farm, Leyton. This farm is now run by the Council and the admission is free.
This little farm was found behind some alleyways in Leyton. There were no signs directing to it, which was a shame.
It was quite a cold day but the animals were all outside watching the passers by. There were only a few visitors, probably because it was cold.They seemed pretty happy and the bedding was clean and the animals looked well fed, some more than others!
They had chickens, unusual ducks, about three pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs and a llama. Huge ancient geese roamed the area.
Some of the cages didn’t have any labels on and some chickens were in cages marked guinea fowl. I thought that would be a bit confusing for the kids, and urban adults.
There were a lot of goats, and one tried to headbutt us! Though it was Sunday, the cafe wasn’t open. It was a small and quiet place.
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Duck Pond, Brooks Farm, Leyton
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Spitalfields City Farm, Burton Road
This was nice City Farm, behind Brick Lane. Spitalfields Farm Association Ltd, makes a £300,000 a year according to the Charities Commission. There were a few fields round it. There was a small nursery and lots of sheep. The staff seem enthusiastic and friendly. One of their chickens had gone missing at the end of the day and I don’t know whether they found it. There were plenty of cycle racks.
A lot of these city farms are great for the community.
They help people with mental illness, youth offenders, the Bengali community and disadvantage children. Some children in local hospices
I have put up a link on the right so you can visit City Farms, you’d be surprised how many there are!
Nice post. It’s great to read about cycling experiences from all over the world…especially out of the way places like this. Good job.
By: Darryl on March 2, 2010
at 3:43 am
Thanks Darryl.
Some of these roads by the City Farms are often quiet too.
A lot of tourist attractions in London are very expensive but I think City Farms are a great way of mixing/meeting with ‘real people’, the community. At lot of these normal attractions are full of people ‘trying to get your money’ and are very souless places, though interesting. I tend to like ‘interesting and free’ but ethical is an extra bonus.
Some of these smaller places can’t afford loads of expensive advertising so we need to spread the word.
We need to celebrate our British Farm Animals.. as well as our heritage, they are part of it too and many are becoming rare.
By: velochick on March 2, 2010
at 6:39 pm
Ironically these are not very far from main tourist attractions, well within cycling and walking distances.
I would rather have a cheap tea in a City Farm garden than inside stuck in Starbucks!
By: velochick on March 2, 2010
at 6:41 pm