Family attractions · South West England
The Big Sheep
Devon farm and theme park famous for its twice-daily sheep racing.
Jonathan Billinger — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Limited wheelchair access
About
The Big Sheep at Abbotsham in north Devon is the working sheep farm that turned itself into one of the UK's most original family attractions — combining a working farm with a small theme park where the headline event is twice-daily sheep racing complete with knitted-sheep mascot bookmakers. Add the Battlefield Live laser combat, the Ewetopia indoor play barn, sheepdog displays and the Big Bog water park, and the result is a full day with a uniquely British sense of humour.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
The Big Sheep is an amusement farm park located in Abbotsham, Devon, England. The site was originally Barton Farm, 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. The park gained attention for its daily sheep races. The park suffered substantial losses in the 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. In 2012 the park drew attention when Turner claimed that "needlessly pessimistic" weather forecasts by the Met Office were driving tourists away from local attractions. It also gained more exposure in March 2016 when it launched its new roller coaster but erected signs to state "no screaming" after complaints were made by local residents during the planning process. The Big Sheep was sold to entrepreneur James Sinclair in 2025.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Description
The Big Sheep features an indoor playground, animal shows, brewery, gin distillery, animal barn, Battlefield Live laser tag, outdoor playground, shops and 2 restaurants. There are also currently 8 rides including a roller coaster, farm safari ride, train ride, twister ride, piggy pull along, swan pedalos, tractor school, carousel and pony rides. During the first few months of the roller coaster's operation in 2016, it was named "The Big One". It is now named "Rampage". The roller coaster was made by Zierer and was formerly located at Metroland, the defunct indoor amusement park of the MetroCentre shopping centre in Gateshead. Throughout the year the park also hosts many live events.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.0303, -4.2206
- County
- Devon
- District
- Torridge
- Parish
- Northam
- Postcode
- EX39 3PN
- Parliamentary constituency
- Torridge and Tavistock
- Official site
- www.thebigsheep.co.uk
Sources
- manual: the-big-sheep (manual)
- wikipedia: The Big Sheep (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is The Big Sheep?
- The Big Sheep is in Devon, South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode EX39 3PN), in the parish of Northam.
- When was The Big Sheep built?
- Dates from the modern period.
- How do I get to The Big Sheep?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode EX39 3PN. It sits within the Torridge and Tavistock parliamentary constituency.
- Is The Big Sheep suitable for children?
- Yes — The Big Sheep is a family attraction designed for children. Most rides and attractions are aimed at the under-12 age band.