The Big Sheep
 | |
| Location | Abbotsham, Bideford, England, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°00′57″N 4°14′38″W / 51.015712°N 4.244019°WCoordinates: 51°00′57″N 4°14′38″W / 51.015712°N 4.244019°W |
| Opened | 1988 |
| Operating season |
April - October (7 days) November - March (weekends) |
| Rides | |
| Total | 7 |
| Water rides | 1 |
The Big Sheep is an amusement farm park located in Abbotsham, Devon, England.
Before The Big Sheep was an amusement park it was known as Barton Farm,[1] a busy sheep farm owned by six generations of the same family. Due to challenges in the farming community, owner Rick Turner decided to bring in more profits by turning the farm into an attraction in 1988. The site started with an animal park and restaurant. After its initial focus on agriculture yielded disappointing returns, the park began to add entertainment attractions as well.[2] The park gained attention for it daily sheep races.[3][4] The park suffered substantial losses in the 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.[5] In 2012 the park drew attention when Turner claimed that "needlessly pessimistic" weather forecasts by the Met Office were unnecessarily driving tourists away from local attractions.[6][7]
Attractions
The Big Sheep features an indoor playground, animal shows, brewery, animal barn, Battlefield Live laser tag, climbing wall, mountain boarding, climbing wall, shops and a restaurant. There are also currently 8 rides including a farm safari, train ride, twister ride, piggy pull along, swan pedalos, tractor school, carousel and pony rides.
Throughout the year the park also hosts many live shows.
References
- ↑ http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/the-big-sheep-bideford
- ↑ "The Big Sheep Celebrates 25 Years", North Devon Journal, 1 August 2013 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
- ↑ Perrott Phillips, "Ghostly goings-on that stir among the cream teas", The Herald, 5 January 1998 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
- ↑ Dymphna Byrne, "Animal Crackers: Dymphna Byrne Discovers Sheep Racing and an Alligator Swamp on Some Wild Family Days Out", The Mail on Sunday, 22 August 2004 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
- ↑ "One year on: 'We were losing £3,000 a day'", BBC News, 19 February 2002.
- ↑ Richard Smith, "Miserable Weather Forecasts Have Left Me In Sheep Depression: Theme Park Boss to Sue Met Office", The Mirror, 4 October 2012 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
- ↑ Ryan Hooper, "Tourist attraction boss considers suing Met Office over 'pessimistic' weather forecasts", The Independent, 3 October 2012.