Visits

What to Expect on a Tour

Why not come along for a visit and meet our residents! You will be able to join a guided tour of the wood with one of our experienced guides who will introduce you to our free roaming residents and tell you all about our animals and how they came to live in the wood. You will have the opportunity to see our animals close up, and may even give tummy tickles to some of our pigs! At the end of the tour, you will have the opportunity to relax and enjoy animal-friendly refreshments from JenJen's cafe. (You will need it after climbing the hill to the top of the wood!) We also have a gift shop where you can buy unique gifts featuring some of our residents, or even adopt your favourite.

** Please note, when buying gifts or refreshments on a visit, it is easier for us if you pay by cash as we don't have electricity in the wood. The wood may not be suitable for visitors with poor mobility. Sorry - no dogs except assistance dogs.

*** When booking, if you are unable to book enough places for everyone in your party, it means the tour is full. In this case, please choose another tour time or date that can accommodate the size of your party.

Special Events

From time to time we hold special events in the wood, such as around Halloween, Christmas, Easter and our summer music festival Pig Gig - See our Events page or click here for more details.

We also hold volunteer days where you can come along and help out. Visit our volunteer page to find out more.

Opening Times

We are open for visits every Saturday and Sunday excluding our event days. Our opening times are 10.30am until 1.30pm and visits must be pre-booked online. Click the book now button to book your space via our online calendar.

The minimum donation is £6 per person, and children under 2 go free. Please note children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult and children under 4 should be carried on the tour for safety reasons.

Please note visitors need to arrive at least 10 minutes before their tour starts. Our Saturday tours start at 10.45am, 11.30am and 12.15pm prompt and our Sunday tours start at 10.45am and 12.00pm prompt. This is important as we cover the health and safety instructions at the start of each tour. All visitors to the sanctuary MUST also wear wellies or walking boots. Please remember to bring your own as although we do have some available to borrow, we cannot guarantee there will be enough. Unfortunately, anyone not wearing suitable footwear will be refused entry to the sanctuary. This is a requirement set out by Environmental Health for your own safety.

BOOK NOW

Booking is now online

Click on the Book Now button below to go to the Booking Page. Spaces are limited, so if you are unable to book for the number of people in your party, this means the tour is full. In this case, please choose another tour or date that has more availability.

If you experience any issues with the booking process, please message the Facebook page or email pigsinthewood@yahoo.com.

Opening Times - Pre Booking only
Saturday 10:30-13:30
Sunday 10:30-13:30
Please arrive no later than ten minutes before your given timeslot.
Suitable footwear MUST be worn.

What food can we bring to feed the pigs?

If you want to bring food for the pigs please have a look at the information below on what you can and can't bring. All food will be put straight into a storage container on arrival, so please make sure you give anything you have brought with you to the volunteers. The food will be prepared, and you will be shown how to feed the pigs. We love food donations but there are some foods that are good and some that are bad. The lists aren't exhaustive, but cover most of the foods we see.

******2023 Adopters*******

Did you adopt one of our residents in 2023? Our adoption process changed at the end of 2023. So if you adopted in 2023, you will have received a membership card that allows you to visit up to four times in the year, without needing to book in advance. Simply come along to a tour on Saturday or Sunday on non-event days, and show your membership card on the gate. This only applies to adoptions from 2023. Any non-adopters must book in the usual way.

The Good

Grass hay will always be superb… if you have some spare please bring it. They love to munch!!

Carrots

Squash and pumpkin

Peppers

Tomatoes

Spinach and other leafy greens (except cabbage)

Apples and other fruits ( less is more because of the high sugar content)

Bananas (with or without the skin)

Asparagus (yes they are spoilt)

Lettuce

Cucumber, courgette and marrows

Comfrey leaves

The Bad

Parsnips

Onions

Brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower etc) it causes gas and stomach ache so needs to be cooked. You can bring it but we will keep it back for another day.

Potatoes (too starchy and not enough vitamins).

Sweet potatoes are fine but we usually cook these too.

Anything with stones, the stones need to be removed … i.e: plums, nectarines, peaches, avocado ( skin removed too)

Kitchen scraps - as much as they love veg peel we’re not allowed to feed it to the pigs due to the risk of cross contamination (DEFRA rules!).

The Ugly

There are some things you should never bring.

Meat & Fish - although pigs are omnivores, we cannot allow animal products to be fed to the pigs - DEFRA rules.

Eggs & Dairy - for the same reason as above

Processed or non-vegan food